Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Conditional Use Kennel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board recommends conditional use permit for home-based kennel on Fourmile Church Road
Summary
Pickens County planning staff recommended and the planning board voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit allowing Jennifer Green to operate a home-based grooming and limited boarding business at 1828 Fourmile Church Road, with staff conditions and an added limit of five overnight non-related boarding dogs.
Pickens County planning staff reviewed CU190748 and recommended approval for a conditional use permit that would legalize a home-based grooming and limited boarding operation at 1828 Fourmile Church Road.
The applicant, Jennifer Green, told the board she has worked as a groomer for about 40 years and previously held a kennel license through the state at a Ball Ground location. Green said she moved some operations to her home after the other location closed and that state inspections had been clear. "I have been a groomer ... for 40 years," she said, describing medical grooming services and appointment-based operations.
Staff presented conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts: staggered appointments so only one to two clients are on-site at a time (about eight clients per day, Monday through Friday), hours not to exceed 5:30 p.m., a fully fenced exterior kennel area and shade or cooling for animals during hot weather. A staff member summarized the request and the recommendation for approval, noting the parcel number (068082001) and the Crossroads Community character area.
Several neighbors and clients spoke in support of Green. John Craig, who said he drives two miles to drop off his dog, told the board, "I've never had a problem turning in or out of the driveway." Other supporters described Green's handling of medically fragile animals, the appointment-only system that minimizes on-site stays, and that they had not observed traffic or barking problems on Fourmile Church Road.
Board members asked follow-up questions about barking, traffic and how boarding counts would be applied. One member proposed adding a condition to limit overnight boarding to five non-related dogs; staff clarified owner- and family-owned dogs kept at the home would not count toward that limit. After a motion to add that condition and to accept staff conditions, the board voted in favor of recommending the permit.
The planning board’s vote is a recommendation; the final decision on CU190748 will be made by the Pickens County commissioners.
