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Please send us your opinions about this subject.
State what your career is and the county that you live in. We may distribute your unedited opinions to Santa Barbara County.We reserve the right to publish your e-mails on our site. We will keep you informed of the outcome of this issue and other Santa Barbara dog care subjects, unless you state in your e-mail that you do not to wish to receive e-mails from us. DogGroomers.com does not officially represent the views of these authors.Send your questions or comments about this article to:homegroomers@doggroomers.com.
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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PAGE
ARTICLES GATEWAY PAGE
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Home Occupation Permit For
Dog Grooming Business
in Santa Barbara
Causes Controversy in Cul-De-Sac |
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From: Kurt Raihn
March 27, 2001
Something is happening in our neighborhood that effects everyone living
in a Santa Barbara County residential community.
The Planning &
Development Commission (P&D) has issued a Home Occupation permit that
allows a dog grooming business to be operated from a residence.
The permit allows as many as 10 dogs to be on the residence at one time and
also allows up to 5 clients delivering or picking up dog(s) on-site at
any one time. We are appealing this permit.
Article III, Sec. 35.419.1 of the Santa Barbara County Zoning Ordinances
in reference to residential zoning (R-1) states, "It is the intent of
this district to protect the residential characteristics of an area and
to promote a suitable environment for family life." How can a home
based business that is allowed to have up to 10 barking dogs along with
the additional traffic and safety issues not affect the environment for
family life?
There are several families on our cul-de-sac that currently operate home
occupation businesses. These businesses, however, are transparent to
the neighborhood. A dog grooming business is not!
Article IV, Sec. 35.419.12 of the Santa Barbara County Zoning Ordinances
in reference to animals in residential zoning (R-1) states, "There shall
be no more than three (3) dogs permitted on any one lot." With this
permit, the P&D has approved as many as 13 dogs on a property. In fact,
the owner of the property currently owns two dogs. If the permit is
allowed there could be as many as 12 dogs on this property. Why would
the P&D allow a Home Occupation permit that contradicts the Santa
Barbara County Zoning Ordinances for residential zoning?
I can't begin to express my concern over the safety of the children in
our neighborhood. The increased traffic certainly poses a huge risk.
Another concern is the risk of one of the dogs getting loose in a
strange environment when children are playing nearby. People being
mauled by dogs are an all too familiar and unwelcome headline in today's
news.
Another concern is for the humane treatment of the dogs. One of the
conditions of approval for the permit is that the business owner must
ensure that noise and odor do not result from the dog grooming
business. During the summer months it can get pretty hot inside a
garage when all the doors and windows are shut in order to keep the
noise and odor from reaching outside the property. A properly
constructed and ventilated facility in a commercial zone designed
specifically for holding dogs is the most appropriate and humane way to
manage this type of business.
One last concern is our property values. Several real estate agents
have informed us that due to the nature of the business, the increased
noise from the barking dogs and the increased traffic, our property will
be less desirable.
According to the P&D there has never been a permit granted for such a
business in a residential area. This permit could set precedents and my
neighborhood and yours will be devalued on many levels.
Please contact the Santa Barbara Planning Commission at 123 E. Anapamu
St. 93101, dev@co.santa-barbara.ca.us or call 568-2005. Let them know
that we want to protect the residential characteristics of our
neighborhoods and to request that they not uphold the issuance of this
permit, Case No. 00-HO-021. We work so hard to afford a home in Santa
Barbara county so lets work just as hard to keep our neighborhoods safe
for family life.
Thank you,
Kurt Raihn
65 Warwick Place
Goleta, Ca 93117
805-961-9441
plainsight@netzero.net
March 25, 2001
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Rebuttal To: Home Occupation Permit For
Dog Grooming Business
in Santa Barbara
Causes Controversy in Cul-De-Sac
From: Happy Hound Dog Grooming
March 29, 2001
In response to Home Occupation Permit for Dog Grooming Business Letter to the Editor Dated March 27, 2001:
The facts of the published Letter to the Editor are gravely distorted. The location is not just a garage, but has been converted to a certified facility, according to building and animal services codes.
The walls are double insulated and extra textured for sound proofing, with extra ventilation installed. The outside appearance has been professionally built to correspond with the existing residence. In no way does it look like a commercial business.
To consider concerns of traffic, the business hours will be 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, no weekends or holidays, though these might be the most financially productive days. As this business is by appointment, the drop-off and pickup times will be scheduled to avoid the "5 clients onsite at any one time" issue. As I have only one vehicle, parking im my driveway will accommodate the client.
As a mother with three small childred, I too, am concerned about safety of our children. A three foot chain link fence has been installed inside the front entrance to prevent a chance of dogs escaping the shop. Dogs will be leashed at all times during delivery as designated by animal services. All dog owners must show proof of current vaccinations and county licenses. As groomers, we know that dogs do not bark excessively in grooming shops, and odors in well cared for facilities are virtually non existent, allowing for open doors and windows in the summer.
I have tried to make my business a neighborhood friendly facility by making it attractive on the outside, and as safe and non-invasive to the cul-de-sac as possible. I have consulted with the county for advice for all permits and building codes, also the animal services, and followed the letter of the law as closely as possible.
I started this project in December, 2000, making my intentions known in the Valley Voice for six weeks soon after the first of the year, giving neighbors time to make appeals. Soon thereafter you saw the building in progress, followed by other postings. But no one came forth until am ready to open. I considered my neighborhood when building this project. I feel I have gone beyond my obligations as far as not opening on weekends and limiting my volume to 10 dogs a day.
As groomers and shop owners know, this is a very small business. To ease my neighbor's concerns of noise and odor, I suggest visiting an established dog grooming shop to see for themselves.
As stated in the editorial I am rebuting, this residential type business has never been tried. Why should my business be denied on neighbors' assumptions?
If you have any interests or concerns please feel free to give me a call at (805) 968-0741.
Thank you,
Happy Hound Dog Grooming
70 Warwick Place
Goleta, CA 93117
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