By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
A pet boarding facility within a residential area of Great Bend will have their case to keep their operation open sent before the Great Bend Planning Commission.
After receiving a complaint, the City of Great Bend was
notified a multiple animal permit cannot be renewed this year for Miss Jenny’s
Pet Palace at 5908 Broadway Avenue. The governing body voted 6-1 to initiate an
amendment process to the zoning regulations and present the amendment to the
Planning Commission before the city council has the final say.
The dog kenneling business, owned by Larry and Jennifer Kurtz, has been in
operation for the past two years. The residence, on west Broadway, is zoned
R-1, single-family residential district. A zoning official received a complaint
and notified the city that kennels are not allowed in residential districts.
The city council questioned how the Kurtz couple received a permit in the first
place, which City Attorney Alan Glendenning explained.
"There's two different issues here," said Glendenning. "One, is getting a multiple animal permit. That you can get, even in a residential zone, for personal use. In the ordinance, the clerk should not issue that until the humane society approves the kennel. The clerk got that approval, but the humane society doesn't think about zoning. It almost makes it look like the zoning doesn't come in except at renewal time, which is what has happened here."
Larry Kurtz said the facility passed inspections by both the local humane society and the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The kennel also received a license from the state to operate a kennel to board dogs for pet owners.
Kurtz added Miss Jenny’s Pet
Palace invested more than $15,000 to the shed and outside of the facility to operate
the business. With several people in attendance at Monday’s city council
meeting to support Kurtz, he said they try to be courteous of their neighbors
with barking dogs.
"The notice of violation has remarks that multiple complaints were received from neighbors in our area in regards to barking dogs coming from the property," said Larry Kurtz. "I will admit that at times, dogs we board do get to barking...they're dogs. We try to be mindful and courteous to our neighbors and get it stopped quickly."
The only way a dog boarding operation may be operated in a residential zone is
if the regulations are amended. Such amendments will go before the Planning
Commission before making its way back to the council for approval.
Listen below to the full discussion on initiating the amendment to the zoning regulations for Miss Jenny's Pet Palace from the Great Bend City Council meeting Aug. 15, 2022.