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Wildwood planning commission hears proposal for indoor, cat-only luxury boarding at Winding Trails Center
Summary
A petitioner seeking to amend a site‑specific ordinance to allow an indoor, cat‑only luxury boarding facility in the Winding Trails Center presented plans at the Feb. 3 Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing; no commission action was taken and the item will be considered no earlier than the March meeting.
Jamie Budnick, the petitioner, told the Planning and Zoning Commission she plans an interior-only facility called Cattails Lodge at the Winding Trails Center intersection of Strecker Road and Clayton Road.
Budnick said the 1,225-square-foot west portion of the building would contain eight “luxury suites” sized about 4½ by 6 feet, additional standard lodges and an estimated maximum capacity of about 42 cats when fully booked. “Cattails Lodge … will be a boarding and enrichment facility, strictly cats,” she said, adding the suites would be topped with mesh to prevent escapes and the business would use air‑purification and odor‑control measures.
The Department of Planning described the request as an amendment to the site‑specific governing ordinance for the center (amended C8 plan commercial district) to add a limited kennel use restricted to cats. The department presented aerial images, the approved site plan for the center and an interior floor plan for the commission’s review.
Commission members asked how the use would be limited to cats and whether the operation would be interior only; Budnick reiterated “not there” for dogs and confirmed all boarding would be inside the existing building footprint. Planning staff said the petition has been advertised and will be framed in the site‑specific ordinance as a cat‑only boarding use so future requests for dog boarding would require a new public hearing.
No action was taken at the Feb. 3 hearing. The chair closed the public hearing on a motion, and the department noted the commission will not act that night; the item will be considered no earlier than the March 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The department said its formal recommendation will incorporate specific limits discussed tonight, such as maximum unit counts and interior‑only operation, if the commission makes a favorable recommendation.
Questions raised at the hearing included staffing and hours (Budnick said typical staffing would be two managers and one to two caretakers, with staffing roughly 8 a.m.–4 p.m.), expected parking needs (she estimated 3–5 spaces in typical operation) and assurances about noise and outdoor activity (Budnick and staff emphasized interior‑only boarding and soft music for enrichment).
The public hearing record for this petition will remain open until the commission and department complete the formal review and draft a recommendation for the commission to consider at its next regular meeting.
