Pet clinic project protested

Valerie Miller

Friday, July 31, 1998 | 2:11 a.m.

Residents of Highland Hills are worried that their neighborhood will go to the dogs -- literally -- if a new veterinary clinic and dog grooming facility is built in their area.

Nearly two dozen residents turned out to protest the project at Thursday's Henderson Planning Commission meeting, leading commissioners to postpone the item until neighborhood concerns such as noise, odor, parking and traffic are addressed.

The applicant, veterinarian Dudley Pflaum, had requested that the site of his Horizon Veterinary Clinic, on the southeast corner of Horizon Drive and Greenway Road -- west of Boulder highway and east of the Horizon/I-515 interchange -- be rezoned from residential to neighborhood commercial, an idea that upset many residents.

"If the property is rezoned and he (Pflaum) decides to change his plans for the property, we could have a fast-food place or something else there," said resident Dan Bounderant. His concerns were backed up by a petition signed by 28 other neighbors.

Residents and planning commissioners voiced concern about parking, planned for nine-tenths of an acre, which they said was inadequate. They also cited a lack of buffering for the surrounding neighborhood.

"My concern is if this goes through, I will have parking right in my back yard," worried Gwen Gibson Jenkins.

The clinic's back wall, however, according to Pflaum, will have a 6-foot perimeter. He maintained that his business wouldn't produce any noise or odors.

Continuing the item for 30 days would allow Pflaum to meet with the residents and work out a compromise, said Commission Chairman Danny Sanders.

"I think this clinic is a very good use for this area, because it's a very low-impact," Sanders added. "A little bit of time and effort (by meeting with the neighbors) could really benefit this business."

The Horizon Veterinary Clinic and the adjacent dog grooming facility will go before the Planning Commission again Aug. 27.