Springfield Planning Board continues Select Shepherds kennel hearing, seeks post-construction noise testing and enforceable conditions

Chair Tanner Jacques and the Springfield Planning Board on June 18 continued the public hearing on Select Shepherds’ application for a commercial dog kennel, asking applicants to return with construction drawings, post-construction noise tests and a set of enforceable site-plan conditions.

The Board reopened a continuation of the Select Shepherds site-plan hearing after briefly meeting in nonpublic session. Attorney Sheridan Brown, representing the applicants, said the proposed building location maximizes setback from property lines and takes advantage of a heavily forested buffer; he said the applicants will use sound-absorbing panels, covered runs with top and bottom screens and mass-loaded vinyl and that an earthen berm could be considered after ambient-noise testing if needed. "The location on the plan allows for the greatest setback and the buffering from the vegetation will be the primary mitigation," Attorney Sheridan Brown said.

Abutter Steven Piispanen challenged multiple elements of the application, raising concerns about building materials, inconsistent descriptions of flooring across filings, wastewater and solid-waste handling, and neighborhood compatibility. Piispanen cited NH RSA 436:99 (Diseases of Domestic Animals) to note that state definitions do not explicitly distinguish puppies from adult dogs and provided the Board a written list of concerns, saying he would consider legal action if the permit were approved as-is. "I see no drainage going to the septic system on the plans," Piispanen said, and questioned how wash water and wood shavings would be processed.

Attorney Brown responded that the kennel would sit on a full concrete pad and may include non-porous vinyl for interior comfort; he said routine wash water (shampoo, rinses) was presented to NH Department of Environmental Services as discharging to the existing septic system, while solid waste would be absorbed into wood shavings, bagged and removed to the transfer station. Brown reiterated that post-construction ambient-noise testing by the acoustician would be required and that the applicants proposed limits of 15 adult dogs (dogs older than 16 weeks) and 12 puppies (younger than 16 weeks) as conditions in the application materials.

Board members concentrated on three open issues: whether the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s special-exception language unambiguously limited care to 15 animals (and whether that number included puppies), what enforcement measures the Town could use, and what conditions the Planning Board could lawfully impose during site-plan review. Member John Trachy circulated draft "Findings of Fact" and draft site-plan conditions for review; Tim Bray, Zoning Coordinator, and Vice-Chair Steve Dzubak cautioned the Board to frame findings around the Town’s regulations so they would be defensible on review.

The Board outlined a set of preferred conditions it wants to see formalized for the record: dark-sky, down-shielded, motion-activated exterior lighting; a 12-square-foot maximum sign with no illumination; off-street parking and visitation limited to 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; weekly solid-waste removal; submission of construction drawings before issuance of a zoning permit and an as-built plan upon completion; and post-construction acoustical testing at the property line performed by the acoustician with results submitted to the Town. The Board discussed recording applicable conditions at the Sullivan County Registry of Deeds to aid enforcement.

Rather than resolve the outstanding questions immediately, the Board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to July 16, 2026 at 7:05 p.m. The Board also unanimously approved the May 21, 2026 minutes. No final site-plan approval was granted on June 18; the Board instructed staff and the applicants to return with clarified documentation and the requested post-construction testing plan.

What happens next: The applicants are expected to provide construction drawings and a proposed conditions checklist in advance of the July 16 meeting; the Planning Board also indicated it may seek clarification from the Zoning Board of Adjustment about whether the previously granted special exception’s dog-count language includes puppies.