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La Conner planners to review conditional-use status for pet grooming after business owner raises cost barrier
Summary
A new La Conner pet retailer asked the planning commission why grooming and bathing services require a class 4 conditional-use permit; staff outlined the permit costs and said it will prepare a report on the permitting history and options.
A La Conner business owner told the Planning Commission she holds a retail pet permit but cannot afford the town's conditional-use permit required for on-site grooming and bathing services, and commission members asked staff to research whether the rule should change.
The owner said customers repeatedly request a self-wash basin and grooming, but “the cost prohibits us from doing that. It just doesn't pencil out, across the cost,” and that residents currently travel to nearby towns for those services. Planning staffmember Asia explained that grooming and boarding are currently classified as conditional uses and that “conditional use permit class 2 is an administrative approval” while the class 4 process requires public notice and a hearing examiner.
Asia told the commission the base fee for a conditional-use permit is $875, and that additional costs — postage, publication and hearing-examiner time — typically raise the total to “somewhere around 1,400 to $2,000.” She said a class 2 permit would carry a lower fee (about $250) plus public-notice costs, which might bring the total to “around $350, maybe 400.”
Commission members discussed next steps and whether to direct staff to look into the permitting history and recommend whether grooming should remain a class 4 conditional use. A commissioner suggested the planning commission “direct staff to look into the history of that conditional use, and provide a report or recommendation on whether that should stay a conditional use or move to a different type of permit.” Staff said it will prepare a staff report for the next management meeting on the topic and noted that a code change would require the commission's recommendation and ultimately town council action plus the state's 60-day review.
The commission did not vote on a code amendment at the meeting. Instead, members agreed there was merit to studying whether grooming and related services could be reclassified to reduce cost and processing time for small businesses.
