Johnston County commissioners table rezoning request for Hatcher Road dog kennel to Sept. 15

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 unanimously voted to table a rezoning petition for 477 Hatcher Road (case 25‑04) after the applicant, Cassandra Bridal, presented a revised site plan for a proposed small dog‑boarding facility.

Bridal, the owner of Cassius Critter Care, asked the board to rezone about 0.94 acres of a 1.57‑acre tract from agriculture/residential to general business conditional zoning to permit an animal boarding facility. She told commissioners the business currently serves roughly 150 clients annually and that the requested conditional zoning would allow construction of a small kennel designed to serve between about 20 and 30 dogs with a supervised, home‑style environment.

"Approving this request will allow my business to continue providing a valuable service," Bridal said, and described site modifications she had made in response to neighbor concerns, including curving a proposed driveway to meet a 25‑foot easement, plans to place dense landscaping to buffer views and noise, and an intention to move power lines out of the proposed travel path after consulting Wake Electric. Bridal said she would schedule client pick‑ups and drop‑offs to avoid peak travel and limit outdoor play hours to reduce barking.

Planning staff told the board that the parcel is designated in the county’s future land‑use plan as agricultural, where very low‑density residential uses are intended to remain predominant. The staff report and the applicant’s site plan were provided in the meeting packet; the applicant presented late revisions to the map and a survey at the meeting.

Commissioners expressed concern that the revised drawing had not been available long enough for staff, commissioners and neighbors to review. One commissioner recommended tabling the petition to the board’s Sept. 15 meeting so staff could complete its review and determine whether the changes required the petition to return to the Planning Board for further consideration. The motion to continue to the Sept. 15 meeting carried.

Key technical and neighborhood points raised during the hearing included the location of existing and proposed septic/drain fields, a 60‑foot easement shown on the parcel that affects parking and driveway placement, and neighbor concerns about shared driveway use and sight lines. Bridal said the kennel’s septic system would be newly installed for the kennel portion of the property and that current waste disposal practices had changed since she and her family moved to the property.

The public hearing remains open and the item will be continued to the Sept. 15, 2025 meeting so staff can review the revised materials and determine whether the Planning Board should reexamine the application before the board acts.