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Auburn planning board pauses decision on River Road pet grooming with accessory dog play area
Summary
The board continued a public hearing for a proposed pet retail and grooming business with an accessory dog exercise/daycare area at 61 North River Road after staff and board raised questions about whether the operation would amount to a prohibited kennel and how limits would be enforced.
Auburn planning staff presented a proposal to reuse an existing commercial building at 61 North River Road for a pet retail and grooming business with an accessory dog daycare/exercise area. The applicant told the board the reuse would not require building additions; site improvement plans include narrowing the curb cut, regrading and additional landscaping. Staff said operations were expected to run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with up to six employees and grooming capacity for up to 20 animals per day.
Staff recommended that any approval include an enforceable limit on the number of animals in the indoor and outdoor exercise areas. "Staff's recommending a condition that the total number of pets using the exercise areas at any given time shall not exceed 20," David, the planning staff presenter, told the board. The applicant representative, Travis Nettle of Plats Associates, said the tenant (prospective Maine Bark and Lounge) and the owner were working to finalize operating procedures and asked the board to continue the hearing to the December meeting so those details could be refined.
Several board members pressed whether the accessory daycare would effectively be a kennel, which the general business zone prohibits. Members asked for stronger, enforceable conditions — including explicit prohibitions on overnight boarding, limits tied to grooming counts and mechanisms staff could reasonably enforce. Staff confirmed the closest residence is about 400 feet away and emphasized that accessory status must be demonstrably enforced so the use does not evolve into a primary daycare or boarding operation.
Instead of voting on the application, the board voted to continue the public hearing to the December meeting so the applicant can provide clearer operational controls and any missing documentation, including proof of right, title and interest and explicit enforceability language.
