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Council approves Conditional Use Permit for home-based dog training facility with modified fencing and paving conditions
Summary
The Three Forks City Council approved a Conditional Use Permit for Whitney Taylor’s Shadow Paws dog training business at 115 S. Kansas St., with amended conditions: the fence height was reduced to 6 feet to match a neighbor and driveway paving was deferred to June 1, 2026 (or later, weather-dependent).
The Three Forks City Council on Dec. 9 approved a Conditional Use Permit for Whitney Taylor to operate a dog training business, Shadow Paws, from her garage at 115 S. Kansas Street. The council voted unanimously after amending staff-recommended conditions to reflect the applicant’s requests.
Taylor, the applicant, told the council she had measured her neighbor’s fence and asked the city to change the permit condition requiring an 8-foot fence to a 6-foot fence to match existing screening. She also asked the council to allow the paving requirement for the driveway to be postponed until more favorable weather; staff and the council agreed and set a revised deadline for parking upgrades of June 1, 2026, with allowance for weather-related delay and an agreed-upon expiration mechanism for the pavement condition.
Garret Buchanan recused himself from the discussion and vote because of a long-standing personal friendship with the applicant. Zoning & Planning Board liaison Councilwoman Reagan Hooton summarized the board’s amended staff report and recommended conditions; Councilman Alex Blackburn asked whether adding an expiration date to the pavement condition would be permitted; staff confirmed it would be allowed.
During public comment, Elizabeth (EB) Love said she was not opposed to Whitney earning income but urged the council to consider local concerns about what she called a “barking dog epidemic,” and asked whether the city already had an ordinance against boarding kennels; staff replied that the city does have an ordinance addressing boarding kennels (citation not specified). Lindsie Diebold asked whether owners would be present during classes; Taylor said yes.
Councilman Gene Townsend moved to approve the CUP with the 10 staff conditions as amended (parking upgrades to be completed by June 1, 2026, and fence reduced to 6 feet); Councilwoman Roxi McDermott seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The permit includes the modified conditions discussed on the record and is subject to the Zoning & Planning Board’s standard monitoring and compliance checks.
The council’s action allows Taylor to operate the training business from the interior of her garage under the terms approved by the council; any future noncompliance or changes to the scope of use would return to the city for review.
