Neighbors of the proposed site for a doggie day care at 212 I St. in downtown Davis say their concerns about the business have not yet been resolved.

On Saturday, about a half-dozen residents showed up at a meeting hosted by John Buck, CEO of Turning Point Community Programs, a mental health support organization. The nonprofit group is proposing the project that would employ adults with mental illness to take care of dogs during the day.

Doggie day care: A way forward on four paws

The idea is that the business would form a symbiosis between the dogs, which would be therapeutic for the staff, and the workers, who would help out Davisites in need of daytime care for their dogs.

Rhonda Reed, a resident who lives near the potential location of the business and who attended the meeting on Saturday, said she supports the concept of the business, but there are still a lot of questions that need answering.

“I think that the traffic issues have not been discussed; the dust and dog hair, those have not been discussed; the odor, the noise and so forth,” Reed said.

Jamie Morton, who lives on J Street behind where the doggie day care would operate, believes an industrial area could better accommodate the business.

“We think there are a lot of locations for this that would be much more suited and not a burden on the neighborhood,” Morton said.

And Kristen Guggenheim, a first-year agricultural and environmental chemistry student at UC Davis who lives in the house next door to the proposed site, could see issues with placing the business there as well.

“I’m not really excited about hearing dogs bark all day,” she said. “I study at home. It just might not be the best location.”

After Buck organized a meeting in April for neighbors to discuss the proposed business, he sent out a letter to try to address the concerns that residents had voiced.

But after Saturday’s meeting, Buck understands the neighbors are not satisfied.

“The bottom line is that some of the neighbors are very supportive of our mission, but they just feel that doggie day care is not compatible with their neighborhood and they do have concerns around the usual things like traffic and dog barking,” Buck said.

However, he has not given up on the business at its proposed location. He still plans to submit the appropriate applications to the Davis Planning Commission for approval. But he’d like to do so with the neighbors’ help.

“I’d try to get a meeting with the Planning Commission to see, with (the neighbors), should we be permitted, what type of requirements could be attached to the (conditional) use permit and how those requirements could be monitored and enforced,” Buck said. “The neighborhood could give feedback and there would be repercussions if we failed to adhere to the use permit.

“I feel like I need to call the question and move forward with the process to see if we can even do this thing. If we’re not permitted to do it, it’s all sort of a moot point. If we are permitted, we want to be the very best neighbors that they could possibly have hoped for.”

The Planning Commission not only would need to grant a conditional use permit, but also a zoning verification to consider allowing the business on I Street.

The property, which is zoned for light industrial uses, houses Turning Point offices and empty space adjacent to the railroad tracks.

Mike Webb, the city’s general planner, explained the approval process the doggie day care would go through.

“Since dog day care is not specifically listed as a conditionally permitted use in the district, the Planning Commission would first need to make a determination that the use could even be considered in the district,” Webb said via email. “If the commission finds in the affirmative, only then would a (conditional use permit) be considered.”

Webb also explained what pertinent information the city would analyze when making a decision.

“The city would be looking at the compatibility of the use with the area,” Webb said. “Specifically, we would be evaluating noise, traffic, parking and site planning matters such as site security, fencing, sanitation procedures, etc. We would be particularly interested in neighborhood feedback as the property abuts a residential district.”

Should the Planning Commission approve the project, Buck believes the business could open by July.

Buck would hire Robin Ray, who runs her own pet-sitting business — the Davis Pet Nanny — to train all of the employees and oversee the day-to-day operation of the day care center.

Owners would drop off their dogs in the morning and pick them up after work in the afternoon or evening.

The day care would be open Monday through Friday.

— Reach Tom Sakash at [email protected] or (530) 747-8057. Follow him on Twitter @TomSakash

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