Zoning Vote for Proposed Doggie Hotel Falls Short in Ocean City

There will be no four-legged guests checking into a new doggie hotel in Ocean City.

Culminating a lengthy hearing Wednesday night that elicited impassioned comments from both opponents and supporters of the project, the zoning board fell one vote short of granting a use variance needed for what would be Ocean City’s first doggie hotel and daycare center.

The project called for converting a commercial building at 204 Seventh Street into the doggie hotel and daycare center, but a use variance was required to make it happen.

The zoning board vote was 4-3 in favor of the project, but five affirmative votes – a so-called “super-majority” – were needed for the variance.

Vice Chairman Richard Waddell, Ryan Price, Brian Logue and Phillip “Jamie” DeMarco voted yes. Voting no were Chairman Michael Buck, Peter Patrizzi and Brian Geary.

Waddell seemed to sum up the feelings of the entire board when he noted that it was a “really tough” vote because of the complaints opponents made about the project.

“Nobody wants this in their backyard, and that’s understandable,” he said.

    This commercial building at 204 Seventh Street is the proposed site of the doggie hotel and daycare center.
  

Logue echoed Waddell’s remarks by saying he was a “very reluctant yes” in voting for the project. He cited concerns that the proposed site of the dog hotel might not be in the best location in town.

Board members who voted in favor said they felt that a dog hotel and doggie daycare services are needed in Ocean City.

“This may not be the best location, but there’s absolutely a need,” Logue said.

Those voting against the variance voiced concerns about excessive noise from barking dogs, odor problems and the possibility of neighbors’ lawns being fouled by dog excrement.

Avery Teitler, the attorney for Jake Gallagher, the developer of the project, said he believes Gallagher and his team of professionals made a strong case to justify the zoning variance.

“I thought we put on a good presentation, and I’m disappointed,” Teitler said of the vote in an interview Thursday.

Teitler said he will speak to Gallagher about what to do, if anything, in response to the zoning board vote.

    Avery Teitler, the attorney representing the doggie hotel developer, addresses the zoning board members.
  

Gallagher declined to comment after the hearing, other than to say he was thankful for the opportunity to present his project to the zoning board.

A new ordinance approved by City Council on Jan. 23 has opened the door to the possibility of a dog hotel and doggie daycare center if the owner can secure a zoning variance.

Gallagher has the option of challenging the zoning board’s vote by filing an appeal in state Superior Court. He could also “substantially” change his application for a variance and come back to the zoning board later on, Teitler said.

The hearing stretched on for about 2½ hours, with the vote coming shortly after 10 p.m. It included comments from 22 members of the public, most of them against the project, but a good deal also in support of the doggie hotel.

Teitler and Gallagher’s architect, Andrew Bechtold, maintained that the dog hotel would be a good fit for an area of the downtown that is mostly commercial businesses.

“I think it’s a necessary use that the town can take advantage of,” Bechtold said in his testimony.

    Doggie hotel developer Jake Gallagher, right, speaks with audience members after the hearing.
  

The project was proposed at 204 Seventh Street in a two-story building in a heavily commercialized section of the downtown business district. Gallagher’s company, JJG Property Management LLC, owns the commercial building, which formerly housed an awning business.

Although the proposed site of the doggie hotel is largely surrounded by other commercial businesses, there are also residential homes nearby.

As originally proposed, Gallagher’s project would have included 31 indoor dog kennels, interior dog runs and an outdoor synthetic turf area approximately 400 square feet in size.

Altogether, there were plans to handle 30 dogs per night at the hotel and 20 more at the daycare center, for a maximum of 50 dogs in the building at any given time.

Gallagher, who wants to open the doggie hotel in partnership with his brother, Kevin, made two major concessions during the zoning board meeting in hopes of quelling opposition to the project.

He said he would eliminate the outdoor play area for dogs to cut down on the noise from barking. He also said he would reduce the number of dogs allowed in the hotel from 30 to 25 per night.

“I can guarantee this is going to be a great, great thing,” Gallagher told the zoning board.

However, residents who live in or near the Seventh Street neighborhood voiced strong opposition to the project. They said they were worried about the noise from barking dogs, obnoxious odors and dogs defecating on their property.

“I think it’s inappropriate. I don’t think it belongs,” said Keith Leonard, of 700 Haven Avenue.

    Tom Heist, owner of Heist Insurance, tells the zoning board that he fears a doggie hotel would disrupt the surrounding neighborhood.
  

Tom Heist, who owns Heist Insurance at 700 West Avenue, maintained that a dog hotel would simply be too disruptive to the surrounding neighborhood.

“I encourage you to continue to allow for the peaceful enjoyment of our neighborhood,” Heist said while urging the zoning board members to vote against the project.

Robert Doliszny, who owns property in the 700 block of West Avenue, asserted that the project would be little more than a kennel.

“That’s what it is: a dog kennel,” Doliszny said. “It’s an outrage to even propose something like this.”

Gallagher and his professional team, though, repeatedly denied that the project would be used for dog breeding or pet sales.

There were also members of the public who turned out in support of the project. They said a doggie hotel is badly needed in Ocean City and would be another attraction to help draw tourists to town, especially the ones who have trouble finding pet-friendly vacation accommodations.

“There’s thousands of dogs in Ocean City and they have nowhere to go,” said Jeffrey Hilliard, an Ocean City resident.

Hilliard said the proposed doggie hotel would be like “the Super Bowls of dogs.”

    Andrew Bechtold, the architect for the project, gives the zoning board members information about the doggie hotel.
  

Pat Larkin, another Ocean City resident, told the zoning board that a doggie hotel would provide a “tremendous use.’’

“Everybody in Ocean City benefits from this business,” Larkin said.

Robert Palumbo, another Ocean City resident, said he knows the Gallagher family well and expressed confidence in their ability to professionally operate a dog hotel.

“This is a great idea and I’m certain, knowing the character of the Gallaghers, that they will make it work,” Palumbo said.

Wrapping up his remarks, Palumbo suggested that more discussion was needed between the zoning board, the Gallaghers and the public about the project before any final decisions were made.

“I think everybody should sit down and negotiate this and see how it works,” he said.