Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Animal Care topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning department presents kennel-use zoning amendment; public raises concerns about animals in industrial areas
Summary
City planning proposed amending zoning code to allow kennel (boarding and care) uses in light- and general-industrial districts with a conditional use permit; opponents at the hearing objected to allowing animals outdoors or in industrial settings and asked for clearer restrictions.
The Omaha City Council heard a public hearing on an ordinance to amend Chapter 55 of the Omaha Municipal Code to expand where kennel use (defined as boarding and care services for four or more animals) is allowed. The planning department described the amendment as adding kennel use to LI (Light Industrial), GI (General Industrial) and HI (Heavy Industrial) districts with conditional use permit approval.
Eric England from the Planning Department explained that the kennel use type currently applies in four districts and that the proposed change would allow more potential sites for regulated business operations such as dog daycare or boarding where animals are allowed outdoors; the department said it does not generally support outdoor animal runs in commercial areas but concluded the modification could be acceptable with a conditional-use process.
Members of the public expressed opposition at the hearing. Luis Jimenez and other speakers said the amendment was insufficiently explained to the community and argued that animals should not be permitted in industrial areas, citing past experiences with animal-care businesses operating outdoors and concerns about animal welfare and neighborhood impacts. The council closed the public hearing and no vote was recorded on the ordinance that day.
The transcript captures the planning staff explaining the zoning definitions and the rationale for the conditional-use approach, and residents urging clarity and stricter controls on outdoor animal use in industrial settings. The item will proceed through the council’s amendment and ordinance process per standard procedures; as of the meeting there was no recorded council vote.
