Orange County NC Website
D R A F T <br />3 <br />there are issues involved with their locations that warrant a heightened level review. If you are asking if staff would 109 <br />be comfortable approving it, with the ordinances we have and the standards, I am comfortable with approving or 110 <br />denying anything as long as I have justification. 111 <br /> 112 <br />Alan Campbell: My question gets into the notion that if you have a special use permit that you are held to if they 113 <br />meet the requirements then you have to approve it but if it is discretionary then you have more room. 114 <br /> 115 <br />Michael Harvey: If you, as an applicant, prove you comply with the code, I also have to issue the permit. If there 116 <br />are interpretative issues, then you have the right to appeal me. 117 <br /> 118 <br />Alan Campbell: If you have someone who opened a kennel where they were not supposed to and don’t meet any 119 <br />requirements, what is the enforcement mechanism? 120 <br /> 121 <br />Michael Harvey: If we find an illegal kennel, we initiate zoning enforcement actions which mean we can issue civil 122 <br />citations daily in the amount of $500 after appropriate notices of violation are issued. We can seek an injunction 123 <br />from the court. They are technically guilty of a misdemeanor if they violate the land use regulations so we have 124 <br />enforcement procedures we can initiate. 125 <br /> 126 <br />Alan Campbell: One of the problems with animal enforcements is that if it is the middle of the night, they will not 127 <br />address that issue. 128 <br /> 129 <br />Michael Harvey: If is it a land use issue, we initiate an enforcement action. You, as a property owner, do have 130 <br />rights to appeal. If you choose to continue an action we have told you is illegal, we have lots of means to make 131 <br />sure you comply. 132 <br /> 133 <br />Lisa Stuckey: If you are doing a Class II, maybe I or II, you have to get a permit for Animals Services for each of 134 <br />those and then for Class II, you have to get your Class B Special Use Permit. You have to get the Class II kennel 135 <br />permit within 30 days of occupancy, would that be 30 within the start of the kennel? Can you open it up and 28 136 <br />days later go get your permit? 137 <br /> 138 <br />Michael Harvey: Animal Services provides initial feedback on the proposal and they have met with the applicant 139 <br />and looked over the plan. We have documentation to submit to the Board of Adjustment but they can’t do final 140 <br />approval until they make application and submit the building plans. They can’t submit the building plans until they 141 <br />have a building permit submitted by the inspections department stating this meets building code so we usually allow 142 <br />that grace period for Animal Services to issue the permit on a legally issued kennel operation. 143 <br /> 144 <br />Lisa Stuckey: Does that mean you can have the dogs there before you are issued the permit? 145 <br /> 146 <br />Michael Harvey: The way it is currently worded and the way Animal Services regulations are worded that is a 147 <br />correct statement. 148 <br /> 149 <br />Lisa Stuckey: Is that a good idea? 150 <br /> 151 <br />Michael Harvey: One of the reasons is that Animal Services gives you 30 days to get the final permit. 152 <br /> 153 <br />Tony Blake: When I spoke to the kennel owner where we are, he said he felt there was a fair amount of confusion 154 <br />between the state regulations and the county regulations but I think what you are describing is the case where 155 <br />someone has a lot of dogs and someone decides to convert to a legitimate kennel operation. 156 <br /> 157 <br />Pete Hallenbeck: Didn’t you say part of those 30 days was to avoid the time crunch? 158 <br /> 159 <br />Michael Harvey: Yes. And Animal Services has to sign off on the building permit to say that it meets their code 160 <br />before a building permit is issued. 161 <br /> 162 <br />10