Lewes planners hear about duel over dog grooming biz
A Lewes couple’s push to have the city’s zoning code changed to allow home-based dog grooming continued at the Lewes Planning Commission’s Aug. 21 meeting.
Sarah Prieto and her husband, Stephen Matthews, want to open a dog grooming business in the basement of their home at 405 Savannah Road, a middle house in a line of historic row homes across from Beebe Healthcare.
They moved into the home in July and are the only full-time residents in that block of row homes, according to Prieto.
However, neighbors from units 401, 403 and 407 are opposed to having dogs parading in and out of the residence. They claim the dogs will bring barking and odors through their shared walls and drive down property values, not to mention the customers who will be competing for already impossible-to-find parking spaces on Savannah Road and side streets.
Prieto has 16 years of experience as a certified dog groomer and said she knows what precautions to take, including soundproofing, to make sure her business does not disrespect the neighbors.
Dog grooming is not on the city’s list of approved home-based businesses. City code states that any business not on the list is not permitted.
Mayor and city council effectively denied the dog grooming business in July, but they tasked the planning commission with reviewing all home-based businesses and recommending what should be added to or removed from the list.
“There is a broader issue here. Our code is outdated and poorly written,” said Rich Innes, LPC vice chair. “This is going to impact a specific issue. We need to draft an ordinance in a way that neighbors’ concerns are addressed.”
Those neighbors came to the Aug. 21 meeting to repeat their concerns that a dog grooming business does not belong in a row house.
Robert Huber lives at 407 Savannah Road, just on the other side of Prieto and Matthews’ living room wall.
Huber said the couple failed to get a permit for renovations to the lower-level porch. He said that work caused cracks in his wall and steps.
“They feel entitled to break the rules,” Huber said, adding that he might take legal action, which could involve the city.
Prieto and Matthews confirmed that they did receive a violation notice from the city and paid a fine.
But. she said they hired a structural engineer who confirmed the construction could not have caused the damage to Huber’s home.
Patricia Lazik is a veterinarian who lives at 401 Savannah Road, the end unit in the row. She said she deals with the not-so-clean side of dogs every day.
“The amount of hair, nails, feces and urine I have to manage every day in order to have a sanitary and good-smelling business is a full-time job,” Lazik said.
Prieto pointed out that she will not be kenneling or boarding any animals. She also said she will be donating dog hair to an organization called Matter of Trust, which turns the hair into mats that absorb oil spills.
Lazik said as a neighbor, she would find the dog grooming business tough to live with.
“Living in a home built in the 1890s, we’re only one brick apart; we hear everything and smell everything. I’m not happy with the quality of life; this is the home I plan to retire in,” Lazik said.
Prieto has been coming to Lewes since she was a child. Her mother still lives two doors away.
Prieto and Matthews said they only want to be good neighbors and give back to the community they love.
“I’ve been here before any of these property owners moved here. I don’t want to change the city codes, I want to be an asset to the community,” Prieto said. “I don’t want to be that person who has barking dogs in the middle of the night.”
The LPC will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss and possibly take action on revising the city’s list of approved at-home businesses, which could include dog grooming.
Prieto and Matthews said despite the opposition, they think the process is going well.
“We’re in it for the long haul,” Matthews said. “The [neighbors] talk about retiring, but we’re active in the community. We love it here.”
