Sioux Falls Council once again signs off on dog daycare opposed by neighbors

A proposed dog daycare can once again move forward after the Sioux Falls City Council approved a permit neighbors appealed, citing fears about noise and safety.

The 7-1 vote on Tuesday evening is the most recent, and potentially final, step in the rezoning process for the business, which has faced resistance to the plan since September.

Members of the Charleston Court Condos appealed the permit after it passed Dec. 6. Residents of the condos, along with senior housing complex Sunnycrest Village, were the two main groups opposed to the plan.

And it seemed like they might have some of the council on their side: A previous vote had narrowly approved the rezoning 5-3, with councilors Greg Neitzert, Sarah Cole and Pat Starr in opposition.

But Neitzert said Tuesday a Dec. 18 test, where simulated audio of dogs barking was played at the proposed site, convinced him to change his vote. He said he was surprised at how much the nearby interstate deadened the noise and he did not believe it would be obtrusive to the business' neighbors.

Cole also voted in favor of the permit, though she didn't state her reasons why. Neither did Starr, who remained the lone opposing vote.

The permit passed with four additional conditions added by Neitzert, clarifying the permit would apply only to the current owners, that a on-site dumpster be placed in an agreed-upon spot and that the dog daycare would follow noise and loose animal ordinances — the last two, Neitzert said, to cover the city's bases should the permit need to be addressed in the future.

Those will be in addition to three conditions already part of the permit, requiring the outdoor area to be adjacent to the interstate, surrounded by a 7-foot vinyl fence and holding no more than five dogs between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls Council approves plan for dog daycare opposed by neighbors