Home dog grooming banned in latest Lewes biz ordinance

The couple who has been battling the City of Lewes over the right to open a dog grooming business in their Savannah Road rowhome is facing an end to their fight.

The latest proposed version of a home-based business ordinance singles out dog grooming as a business prohibited in residential neighborhoods and in structures with shared walls. The ban applies only to a home-based business; dog grooming would still be permitted in commercial zones.

Mayor and council might vote on the ordinance during their regular meeting Monday, April 13.

The city began taking a fresh look at its home-based business regulations almost two years ago.

The discussion began after the city rejected a business application from Sarah Prieto and Steven Matthews for a dog grooming business in their basement at 405 Savannah Road. Dog grooming was not on the city’s list of approved home-based business at the time.

The couple appealed to council for a zoning change. Since then, there have been several iterations and rewrites of a proposed ordinance. Council even approved a version by a 3-2 vote this past December, but then quickly rescinded it over legal, land-use and zoning questions.

The new version makes significant changes that tip the scales against having an animal-related business in the rowhome.

Mayor Amy Marasco confirmed that if the ordinance were to pass as is, Prieto and Matthews would be out of options.

“I’m 100% frustrated for them. I applaud their commitment to the community. But, we’ve been consistent in the issues related to a pet grooming business and I think the compromise committee got it right,” Marasco said.

Prieto and Mathews’ neighbors at 401, 403 and 407 Savannah Road have been vehemently opposed to the possibility of having noise, odor and vibration just a thin, shared wall away. They also have said there is not enough parking in the neighborhood to support clients.

Those neighbors came to the April 6 public hearing to urge council to pass the latest version of the ordinance.

“The facts are that noise, vibrations and odors cannot be mitigated. I don’t know a single person that lives in a close-quartered home or rowhouse that would ever support something like an animal-based business,” said Jon Hill, who lives at 403 Savannah Road. 

Prieto and Matthews have said they will take all safety measures to reduce noise, odor and risk of disease, and several other steps, including: a separate basement entrance; encouraging clients to walk to the business to reduce the need for parking; and having only one client dog at a time, even though the city allows residents to own up to four dogs in their homes.

Plus, the couple has argued that their home is zoned limited commercial historic, making it legal for them to operate a home business there.

“If you’re not against pet ownership, you’re not against small business and you’re not against us personally, then simply keep the current definitions of kenneling and grooming that you already approved [in December] and stop kowtowing to vacation homeowners that are taking over the city,” Matthews said to council at the public hearing.

Saliba and Marasco both questioned the need for a total dog grooming ban, even in single-family homes.

“We singled out a pet grooming business as the poster child out of this whole ordinance, but there are a lot of other home-based businesses that we could have banned. [Dog grooming] is banned regardless. But there are some homes that could accommodate a higher-impact business,” Saliba said.

Other members of council have expressed the need to protect the rights of property owners who bought in what they were expecting to be tranquil neighborhoods.

Under the latest proposed rules, the city manager would determine if a home business application fits into the low-impact or high-impact category.

A business deemed to be high-impact would then be subject to the city’s conditional-use process, which requires review and recommendation from the Lewes Planning Commission as well as mayor and council.

Saliba called the process burdensome.

Because dog grooming would already be on the banned list, Prieto and Matthews would be shut out of the conditional-use process.

Other key provisions of the latest proposed ordinance specify that a low-impact home business would have no outside employees, no outdoor storage and only one client at a time. High-impact businesses could have up to three outside employees, would need to have off-street parking for each worker, and could set hours for customers or clients from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

The draft ordinance can be found at lewes.civicweb.net on the April 6 mayor and council public hearing agenda.