This commercial building at 204 Seventh Street would have been renovated for the doggie hotel and daycare center if the project had received approval from the zoning board.
In just two months, Ocean City has gone from nearly approving the first dog kennel in town to banning kennels altogether.
Voting 7-0, City Council gave final approval May 22 to a new ordinance that closes off any possible legal pathway for developers to build dog kennels.
City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson told Council that the ordinance prohibits the issuance of a city mercantile license for dog kennels. Without a mercantile license, a dog kennel would not be able to open for business.
In January, Council approved another ordinance that would have allowed dog kennel owners to obtain a mercantile license if they were able to first secure a use variance from the zoning board for that type of business.
However, the new ordinance reverses the one adopted in January. Council signaled that it was willing to repeal the original ordinance at the urging of local residents and business owners who strongly opposed a proposed doggie hotel and kennel on Seventh Street.
The controversy began in March when a developer had proposed opening a doggie hotel and daycare center in a two-story commercial building at 204 Seventh Street in downtown Ocean City. However, the developer fell just one vote short of gaining approval for the project during a zoning board meeting on March 20.
Crowding into the room, the neighbors expressed fears during the April 24 Council meeting that a dog hotel and kennel would disrupt their lives with loud, continuous barking. They also said they were worried about foul odors and the possibility of dogs defecating on their lawns.
There was no comment from the public at the May 22 meeting leading up to Council’s vote on the new ordinance to ban dog kennels.
The Council members also didn’t comment during their vote, other than Councilman Sean Barnes expressing his hope that the city would consider expanding the types of services that are available at the municipal dog park at 45th Street and Haven Avenue.
“Obviously, there was a lot of public interest in having some services available for pets,” Barnes said.
Barnes was referring to public comments made by supporters of the doggie hotel and daycare center hotel during the March 20 zoning board meeting. They said a doggie hotel is badly needed in Ocean City and would be another attraction to help draw tourists to town, especially the ones who have trouble finding pet-friendly vacation accommodations.
The doggie hotel developer, Jake Gallagher, has put the building on Seventh Street up for sale for $879,900 after he failed to win zoning approval. But he told OCNJDaily.com in April that he may appeal the zoning board’s vote to try to resurrect his plans for the doggie hotel and daycare center.
Gallagher also said that he is considering other possible options for the building, including turning it into a private pickleball club or converting it into a mental health center for recovering alcohol and drug abusers.
“All options are on the table,” Gallagher said in an interview with OCNJDaily.com.
Gallagher's comments ignited fears among the Seventh Street neighbors that the dog kennel could be revived, prompting them to ask City Council for help to block the project and others like it.
