Palatine doggy day care passes despite noise concerns
Despite initial reservations about noise affecting a nearby residential area, Palatine village council members approved doggy day care in the Northwest Shopping Center by a 4-2 vote Monday.
The council granted a special use to K9 Resorts of Palatine, 541-569 E. Dundee Road, for the 10,619-square-foot kennel space.
Council members Doug Myslinski, Kollin Kozlowski, Brad Helms and Greg Langer voted in favor. Members Joe Falkenberg and Scott Lamerand voted against.
Council members wrestled with sound issues, especially considering the project’s $3.5 million investment.
“That's the big issue in my head — what are we going to do? Shut them down? Yeah, we can. After that investment? That's tough,” Myslinski said.
Mayor Jim Schwantz noting the village has other dog training centers, “It just feels like once a resident hears that dog bark, they're going to hear it all the time.”
The ordinance includes a review condition allowing the village to impose additional restrictions if noise becomes problematic.
The business proposed blocking sound with a wall system. The exterior window on the east side would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but closed if noise became an issue. The southern window facing homes would be closed if the area reached full capacity.
In lieu of an originally proposed outdoor play area, the kennel will offer an indoor play area with masonry walls, skylights and controlled windows.
Business attorney Talar Berberian said the original outdoor plan “simply wasn't going to cut it.”
Company representatives balked at completely closing windows.
“It is truly a tenet of their business model to make sure that these dogs are getting fresh air,” Berberian said.
However, one of the kennel’s owners said they were open to potentially permanently closing the southern windows.
Berberian said a 2019 sound study indicated noise with vinyl fencing 100 feet away would reach 40 decibels, comparable to a refrigerator humming. The masonry would be twice as effective.