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Hoover council OKs Pet Paradise facility in Tattersall Park

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Sketch courtesy of city of Hoove

Photos courtesy of city of Hoove

Photos courtesy of city of Hoove

Photos courtesy of city of Hoove

Photos courtesy of city of Hoove

Photos courtesy of city of Hoove

Map courtesy of city of Hoover

Sketch courtesy of city of Hoove

The Hoover City Council on Monday night gave approval for Pet Paradise to build a 15,000-square-foot grooming, boarding and veterinary care facility for up to 175 pets in the Tattersall Park development next to Greystone.

Several Greystone residents expressed concern that they and residents of the Somerby at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen retirement facility next door would be disturbed by barking dogs.

Charlie Beavers, an attorney for Pet Paradise, said the company has taken numerous measures to reduce noise coming from its facilities across the country.

The facility itself is heavily soundproofed with 1 foot of foam insulation in the roofing on top of insulated block, Beavers said. The company also will be restricted to having no more than 75 dogs outside at a time during the day and no dogs at all outside between 7 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Pet Paradise takes dogs outside to play for 30 minutes three times a day, and employees keep the dogs engaged while they are outside, which helps reduce barking, Beavers said.

Dogs also are allowed outside on individual patios outside their suites twice a day for “potty breaks” and while their suites are being cleaned, but the limit of 75 dogs outside applies to all dogs, Beavers said.

Additionally, the nearest single-family residence in Greystone is more than 800 feet away from where the Pet Paradise facility will be, Beavers said. There also is a wooded area and 102-foot elevation change between the facility and homes in Greystone, he said.

Connie Devoe, who lives on Berwick Road (the closest road in Greystone), said dog barking typically can reach 80-90 decibels and sometimes can go up to 100-115 decibels and travel two miles.

She’s concerned that Pet Paradise won’t guarantee that dog barking won’t be heard from inside the facility and also concerned about the barking during the day, she said. She works from home and often outside on her patio and doesn’t want to be disturbed by dogs barking, she said.

“I don’t necessarily believe that we won’t be able to hear the dogs,” Devoe said.

Jimmy Fallon, another resident of Berwick Road, asked council members if they would want a pet boarding facility behind their homes. “They need to put that place somewhere else where there’s no residents behind them,” he said.

Councilman Mike Shaw said he absolutely understands residents’ concerns. “Nobody wants to create noise issues with what we’re doing,” Shaw said.

He noted that the council initially denied a request for a PetSuites Resort on John Hawkins Parkway in 2018 and only voted in favor of it in 2019 after eliminating an outdoor play area and requiring additional soundproofing to the walls.

This situation is different because the Pet Paradise facility will be much farther away from homes than the PetSuites Resort is, he said. Also, he personally called residents and businesses near other Pet Paradise facilities in other states and could not find any complaints about the facilities, he said. Some people didn’t even realize it was near them, he said.

Councilman Casey Middlebrooks noted that Devoe made reference to hunting dogs in her remarks and said it should ease her mind that while the barking of hunting dogs can travel for miles, most dog barking does not carry that far.

The council also approved other conditions for the Pet Paradise facility recommended by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission:

James Inman, the real estate acquisition manager for Pet Paradise (based in Jacksonville, Florida), previously informed the planning commission that Pet Paradise has designed a sophisticated underground drainage system that will keep 99.9% of pet waste from entering into the stormwater system.

The 15,000-square-foot facility will 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.

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.

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

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 Hoover City Council:

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