Planning Commission approves Osprey pet resort

Despite concerns about excessive noise, the Sarasota County Planning Commission approved a proposal to build a pet resort in Osprey at Thursday's meeting.

Robert Huff is the owner of Bayside Pet Resort, which has two locations, one on Honore Ave. in University Park and the other on N. Tamiami Trail near the airport. He purchased the 3.8-acre property along U.S. 41 near Blackburn Point Road with the intention of opening a third location there. The property was formerly a mobile home park.

The proposal came before the commissioners in two parts: one, as an amendment to change the current county code, and two, as a special exception to build.

The amendment to the code would change the regulations in the zoning code for commercial general. Currently, the code prohibits overnight animal boarding at any facility in CG except those with a veterinarian on staff. The amendment would change the code to allow boarding at overnight pet resorts or daycares.

“We’re putting the card before the horse,” said Chairman Bob Burrus. “This could create unintended consequences.”

All the commissioners were concerned about the county-wide implications of the zoning amendment; the amendment was denied 5 to 1, but the commission sent the amendment onto county commission to have staff examine it more closely, because if Huff had hired a veterinarian for his pet facility, he would not have needed the special exception to build.

The commissioners did, however, unanimously pass the special exception to allow the pet resort to be built, with the caveat to let dogs out in the mornings at 7 a.m. instead of the original 6:30 a.m. time.

The approval did not come without addressing concerns about the noise level of barking dogs to the residential area nearby.

“I have only one reservation, and that is noise,” Richardson said.

Bryan Lichterman, who helped represent Huff, described the efforts his client had gone through to address noise concerns.

Huff had contracted an acoustics engineer to examine the site for noise-reducing mechanisms. The building will be located on the northeast edge of the property next to a car wash and the road, to help mask noise. There will be a fountain in the stormwater retention pond to create white noise, and the animals’ inside accommodations would be specially constructed to reduce sound.

Other votes

• The commissioners approved an ordinance that would require a special exception to be issued for anyone interested in cultivating, selling or researching marijuana, in the case that Amendment 2 on the November general election ballot should pass and legalize the use of medical marijuana in Florida.
“In this case, something is better than nothing,” said Commissioner Rob Morris. “If we don’t have something, it’s open to anybody anywhere.”
• The commissioners approved a rezone petition for 1,000 acres located east of I-75 from open use, 5-acre, to hamlet planned development. The development, Lakepark Estates, would be built in concordance with the Sarasota 2050 plan.