Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Kennel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends approval for Dencrest beagle kennels despite neighbor noise concerns
Summary
After a full-commission site visit and extensive public comment, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the Board of Supervisors approve a special-exception permit for Dencrest Farm Kennels with staff conditions; neighbors opposed citing noise, proximity and inadequate notice.
The Fauquier County Planning Commission on Aug. 15 recommended that the Board of Supervisors grant a special-exception permit allowing Dencrest Farm to house up to 14 beagles on a 48-acre property under a Virginia Outdoors Foundation easement — a decision that followed a site visit and robust public comment.
Staff said the application (a Category 13 special exception) proposed indoor/outdoor kennel facilities with two indoor rooms and outdoor runs feeding a larger play area; volunteers would visit twice daily to feed and care for dogs, which staff said would be transported off-site for hunt events. The application requested the kennel be limited to 14 dogs (12 for the Middleburg Orange County beagles plus two resident pets), use of a dosed sewage-treatment system sized for 2,400 gallons per day, a private well/water-supply lot and an underground fire-storage tank. Staff noted that notifications had been sent beyond the immediate adjoining properties down Old Marsh Road.
Multiple nearby residents told the commission they had not received timely notice of the application, described being surprised by the proposal and expressed particular concern about noise from beagles (calling the breed one of the loudest) and potential impacts on property enjoyment and future residential development. Neighbors cited external data and county noise standards (chapter 13) and warned that continuous kennels could exceed decibel limits at property lines. Supporters and the applicant’s representative said the proposed site was an improvement over previous locations and emphasized volunteer management and conditions limiting use hours and confinement when not in training.
Commissioners noted the value of a site visit and discussed measured distances from the kennel to nearby structures via GIS aerials. Several commissioners emphasized that the county’s noise ordinance and conditional-permit enforcement can be used if conditions are violated; staff said permits may be suspended for condition violations. After deliberation, the commission voted to recommend approval of the special exception subject to staff recommended conditions.
Next steps: The Board of Supervisors will consider the commission’s recommendation at a future meeting. Neighbors were advised that county noise regulations provide an enforcement path should post-approval issues arise.
