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Hoover City Council to vote on Pet Paradise facility in Tattersall Park

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Map courtesy of city of Hoover

Map courtesy of city of Hoover

Map courtesy of city of Hoover

The Hoover City Council on Monday night is scheduled to vote on plans for a Pet Paradise grooming, boarding and veterinary facility for up to 175 pets in the Tattersall Park development next to Greystone.

Several Greystone residents objected to the pet facility when the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission considered the proposal in May, saying they were concerned that barking from so many dogs would disrupt their serenity. But the commission voted 7-1 to recommend the City Council approve it with some conditions.

The proposed 15,000-square-foot facility would be on 2 acres at the corner of Greystone Way and Tattersall Boulevard and include outdoor runs and play areas, on-site veterinary care seven days a week, grooming and day camp services, and a residence quarters for a 24-hour caretaker.

Charlie Beavers, an attorney representing Pet Paradise, said the company currently operates 44 of these facilities in nine states and has 14 more under development, including eight in the Southeast and Southwest.

James Inman, the real estate acquisition manager for Pet Paradise (based in Jacksonville, Florida), said the company frequently faces concerns about noise.

“The building that we’ve constructed is an insulated, soundproof building,” Inman said. “You will not hear any noise at all when the pets are housed. Our company is very careful about keeping the dogs active so they are not a nuisance to surrounding property owners.”

Dogs tend to bark more when they are bored and inside, Inman said.

“We’ve found that over the years that when dogs are outside running, playing in the pool, engaging in exercise, they’re not barking.”

At Pet Paradise, dogs are taken to an outside play area for 30 minutes three times a day, but no more than 20 dogs are allowed in any one play area at a given time, Beavers said. Also, the company has agreed to have no more than 75 dogs in total outside at any given time.

The planning commission had recommended that no dogs be allowed outside at all between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., but the council has amended that recommendation to allow no dogs outside between 7 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Beavers requested the change, saying the dogs needed a shorter period of time that they were unable to take “potty breaks” outside.

Each dog being boarded, in addition to their playtime, would be given three opportunities to go outside each day: a potty break in the morning, potty break in the evening and while their suite is being cleaned, Beavers said.

Inman said Pet Paradise has three to four play time coordinators monitoring the dogs during their group play time and keeping them engaged.

Other conditions put in place by the planning commission were:

Inman said Pet Paradise has designed a sophisticated underground drainage system that will keep 99.9% of pet waste from entering into the stormwater system.

Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw, the council’s representative on the planning commission, noted that the City Council in February 2019 approved a PetSuites Resort for up to 182 animals at 2311 John Hawkins Parkway. In that case, the council eliminated all outdoor play areas.

However, that situation was much different because the PetSuites property had houses on Pine Rock Lane right up against it, Shaw said.

At the Tattersall Park property, the Pet Paradise facility would be at least 465 feet from the Greystone residential community boundary and about 715 feet from the closest residence, Hoover City Planner Mac Martin said.

Shaw said the homes in Greystone appear to be far enough away and with enough vegetation between them and the Pet Paradise that he doesn’t expect the dog barking to be a problem.

Shaw said he also called people near Pet Paradise facilities in other cities and found no complaints about them.

Beavers said that the Pet Paradise in Tattersall Park represents a $6 million investment for the company and that it would employ about 25 people and typically have 13-15 employees on site during hours the facility is open to the public.

On typical days, Pet Paradise facilities have 20-40 dogs in day camp, 8-15 dogs being boarded during weekdays and 15-40 dogs being boarded on weekends, Beavers said. Peak times with more dogs are during the holidays, he said.

Pet Paradise facilities do not accept pregnant, aggressive or unvaccinated dogs, he said.

In other business Monday, the City Council is scheduled to consider:

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