Fairfield Neighbors Respond To Spot On Dog Hospital Rebuttal

FAIRFIELD, CT — A grassroots group that opposes the proposal of Spot On Veterinary Hospital & Hotel to open a facility on the Post Road in Southport, has issued a statement in response to the applicant's recent rebuttal.

On Monday, the attorney for Spot On filed a 115-page rebuttal document with the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, in which Spot On stated it has made changes to its application to appease neighbors.

Below is the response from the Alliance to Preserve Peaceful Fairfield Neighborhoods:

In response to a written rebuttal document filed Monday with the Fairfield Town Plan and Zoning Commission by applicants for the proposed Spot On dog hotel, a neighborhood association statement questioned why the applicant chose to email a 115-page text document rather than appear in person at Tuesday’s concluding TPZ hearing.

“Over the last three months residents have appeared in person at several hearings, along with legal counsel and a certified acoustics engineer, politely arguing face to face before TPZ commissioners why changing longstanding zoning regulations now protecting neighborhoods from dog kennels abutting residential neighborhoods is a bad idea. That is what is now proposed by Spot On for a former car dealership building at 2269 Post Road. “

“What happened that caused the applicant to now choose this nonappearance route for rebuttal?” asked The Alliance to Preserve Peaceful Fairfield Neighborhoods in its statement.

The alliance is an informal organization of neighbors and others in Fairfield opposed to the big box kennel and the zoning regulation change necessary to allow it. The group collected more than 1,000 signatures on petitions opposing the zoning regulation change and the application to construct the Spot On dog hotel. TPZ has 65 days from the final hearing date to vote on the matter.

The proposed zoning regulation change, if approved, would permit kennels to be built on commercial sites all over Fairfield that abut residential neighborhoods. In addition to vague and unenforceable language in the regulation, attorneys for opponents argued such a change would dramatically interfere with the quality of life in those neighborhoods because of nuisance dog barking noise and environmental issues and risks associated with the large number of dogs being boarded at the proposed Spot On hotel.

The neighbors also argued that their concerns were not being effectively resolved by the applicant. Overall, they said the 2269 Post Road location was ill suited for a large dog kennel compared to other commercial and formerly industrial sections of Fairfield that didn’t abut residential neighborhoods.

“We’ve presented strong legal and technical arguments and massive public opposition testimony throughout this process. Our unified opposition in behalf of all Fairfield neighborhoods that are at risk today, or in the future, remains clear and unshaken,” the statement concluded.