Board OKs variance to allow overnight boarding at proposed Goffstown Plaza dog daycare, requires 100-foot buffer

The Goffstown Zoning Board voted to grant a variance that allows a proposed dog daycare at 553 Mass Road to include indoor overnight boarding as part of its operations, with the board adding a condition that the fenced outdoor play area maintain a 100-foot setback from the rear lot line and that remaining details be resolved through site-plan review.

Brad Westgate, attorney for the applicants Scott and Rachel Valancourt, told the board the business would operate as a Playful Pack franchise in a roughly 5,400-square-foot suite at Goffstown Plaza and include a fenced 40-by-55-foot outdoor play area behind the unit. Westgate said the overnight boarding component is what requires a variance because the Commercial District permits daycare, grooming and training but not overnight boarding as written in the zoning table of uses.

The applicants said the operation would be staffed 24 hours a day, including at least one overnight staff member; daytime hours would be roughly 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. They estimated typical daytime attendance of 30–40 dogs and projected about 10 overnight boardings on an average night once ramped up, with higher counts on weekends and vacations. Attorney Westgate framed the variance request under the ordinance’s five-part test, arguing the indoor, controlled nature of overnight boarding and the commercial setting are consistent with the district’s purposes and would not diminish surrounding property values.

During public testimony, abutter Jay Hunter said he is "totally opposed" and urged caution, describing ongoing trash problems at the plaza over the past five years and saying, "This owner happens to be the worst possible neighbor you could ever ask for." Neighbor Daryl Reuter asked whether the fenced area would have lights on at night; the applicants said there are no plans for nighttime outdoor activities or floodlighting, only minimal safety lighting for staff.

Board members pressed the applicants on drainage, turf construction and pet-waste handling after the technical review committee and the town engineer reviewed the plan. The applicants described a permeable base (several inches of gravel) with commercial-grade artificial turf designed for canines, and said pet waste would be picked up immediately, double-bagged in biodegradable bags and placed in sealed containers for disposal. The board and several members noted these measures—and other operational details—would be finalized at the planning board/site-plan stage.

After deliberation the board approved the variance on a motion that included a requirement to memorialize the 100-foot setback referenced in section 5.5 of the zoning ordinance. The board recorded the motion as carried; individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record. Planning review and any required permits remain outstanding before the operation may commence.