A proposal by the Humane Society of Fairfax County to expand its dog-kennel operations in Centreville has run into flak from a neighbor over noise concerns.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended on Oct. 9 that the Board of Supervisors approve the request, but several commission members acknowledged heartburn over the decision.
“This is tough. It deserves a second look,” said Dranesville District Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder, who abstained from the vote.
“I’m in a similar position,” commission chair and at-large member Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner said.
Despite his reservations, Niedzielski-Eichner ultimately joined in the rest of the commission, except for Ulfelder, in voting to send the matter to the Board of Supervisors with a supportive recommendation.
The Humane Society, which already operates a shelter facility on an adjacent parcel, came to the county seeking permission to use a 10.7-acre site at 16001 Route 29 near the Prince William County line as a facility for newly arrived dogs to be quarantined before they’re transferred to other sites for adoption.
The site, currently zoned for residential use, already contains eight kennel structures, which could be used to house up to 24 dogs at any one time — although the nonprofit expects significantly fewer animals unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Two staff members would be on site during the daytime, and the dogs would be permitted to use a fenced exercise area from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The facility would not be open to the public.
Dave Sanders, whose family has lived adjacent to the parcel since 1983 and operates the Sanders Ranch Battlefield Equestrian Center there, spoke out against the proposal, saying that noise from dogs at the existing Humane Society site — which located farther from his property than the proposed new facility — has proved to be a “constant problem.”
“It’s hard to describe how prevalent the barking is,” Sanders said, adding that the noise issues tend to be worst in the mornings and evenings.
While horses on his land aren’t annoyed by the cacophony, the humans who come to ride and work with them can be, Sanders said.
In order to obtain the planning commission’s support, the Humane Society agreed to a number of noise-mitigation efforts, with more to come if maximum allowable noise levels are exceeded.
Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock said the Humane Society has gone “above and beyond” to address the noise issue, but acknowledged it’s “a difficult situation.” He expressed hopes that the Humane Society can build relationships with the nearby property owners.
Ulfelder urged ongoing monitoring of the project’s impacts on neighbors if it’s approved, though no explicit condition was attached to the application.
The development conditions, or proffers, do include a requirement that noise mitigation measures, including a “barrier,” be installed before a final permit allowing the facility to begin operations is issued.
Noise “can be very annoying — [and] trickier than we think,” Ulfelder said.
