WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- At their meeting on Feb. 4th, the Wicomico County Council passed new zoning legislation. It would require all dog kennels within the county to be at least 1,000 feet away from the nearest home.
After digesting the bill, County Executive Julie Giordano tells WBOC her staff found a glaring issue.
"We really did an analysis of all the kennels in Wicomico County and not one is within compliance of that," said Giordano.
Diving Into Legislative Bill 2025-01:
- Establishes a 1,000-foot offset between the permitter of dog kennel businesses and residential homes
- Offers up a sunset clause, giving businesses three years to comply
- Current dog kennels are not grandfathered in
Giordano said the initial recommendation from Wicomico County's Planning and Zoning Commission was for a 200-foot offset. Following public comment and conversations among council members at the Feb. 4th meeting, that distance grew to 1,000 feet.
By increasing the distance, county officials passed a bill with unintended consequences. If the legislation stands, all kennels within the county would have to move or close down.
"We actually looked at various properties around the county, there are only four properties that could be purchased that have enough land to where there's a 1,000 foot setback in every direction," said Giordano.
Giordano said she's not sure if those properties are zoned commercially, so there's a chance the limited areas where a dog kennel could move in aren't even viable.
Council President John Cannon acknowledged the undue burden this bill could cause.
"We've decided that it certainly should be reconsidered, it was somewhat impromptu that we chose 1,000 feet and we'll certainly do that within the year," said Cannon.
Because the bill has already passed, the council can't make any amendments for the next year. Messick said she can't afford to wait that long.
"That means I'm in limbo," said Messick. "Do I want to invest any more money in this business when they could come back next year and say 'hey, got two more years, three more years, whatever'."
Giordano said she will be vetoing the bill at the next council meeting on Feb. 18th, and she's encouraging dog kennel owners to attend the meeting and speak up in protest.
Cannon doesn't believe that's necessary.
"There's no need for the public to come storm the doors," said Cannon. "The council understands on its own merit exactly what may be fair for everyone in Wicomico County and we'll address that, but as of right now there's no harm no foul andhonestly there's no need for any drama."
New legislation in Wicomico County has dog kennel owners on edge.