A dog daycare and boarding facility wants to move into a long-vacant space in Overland Park’s Nall Hills Shopping Center.
Earlier this month, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted 9-1 to recommend approval of a required five-year special-use permit for a Playful Pack franchise near the southwest corner of Nall Avenue and 95th Street.
Most recently, the shop space at 9526 Nall Ave. was used as a carpet store, which closed in 2017.
Playful Pack wants to add an outdoor dog pen
The space in Nall Hills is roughly 5,400 square feet in size. It’s expected to feature separate areas for large and small dogs, as well as a washing station and a place for kennel boarding.
A proposed outdoor fenced in area on the west side of the building would add an additional 1,500 square feet. That pen would include a drain for “liquid waste” to be rinsed into as needed, according to city documents.
Playful Pack says it would plan to have anywhere from 25 to 55 dogs on site at a time.
Some neighboring residents expressed concerns
A few neighbors expressed worry at the commission’s June 10 meeting that the addition of Playful Pack to the strip mall could negatively affect the quality of life in the surrounding areas due to noise complaints or possibly excessive odor.
Some also pointed out that they felt a play area located within an alley by trash bins would not be appropriate for the dogs’ health.
What planning commissioners thought
Planning commission members seemed generally sympathetic to neighbors’ concerns during the meeting, though they still nearly unanimously recommended the permit for approval.
Chair Kip Strauss at one point proposed recommending a single-year special use permit at first, but that is not what the majority voted on.
It was Commissioner Radd Way, though, who seemed the most skeptical, ultimately casting the lone dissenting vote.
He called it a “poor location” for a dog daycare facility and questioned whether neighbors’ worries had been adequately addressed.
Next steps:
- The special use permit for Playful Pack goes to the Overland Park City Council next.
- The council currently is expected to hear the item during its meeting this coming Monday.
