The Deerfield Planning Board has approved the site plan for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter, moving the project past its first major hurdle. The proposed 7,000-square-foot facility will feature indoor and outdoor kennels, expanded dog runs, and visitor parking off Plain Road East.
The approval includes 12 pages of conditions, such as restricting construction parking and vehicle idling on nearby roads, requiring a surety bond, limiting outdoor dog activities to before 7 p.m., and controlling work hours. Noise concerns, a key issue raised by nearby residents, will be addressed next by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).
Attorney John McLaughlin, representing local residents, argued that noise limits under zoning bylaw 3710 fall within the Planning Board’s scope. However, the board, following advice from Town Counsel, maintained that noise exemptions are a matter for the ZBA.
The shelter’s developers contend that nearby Interstate 91 generates ambient noise louder than the projected dog barking levels, further mitigated by site design and natural barriers.
The shelter project will go before the ZBA on May 15 for two special permits: one to operate the facility and another to exempt it from the town’s noise bylaw. Project documents are available on the town’s website.