Weber County’s looming land annexation could put dog boarding business at risk
Scrappy sits on Vickie King’s lap as golden retriever Bert and pitbull Buddy play with a ball Friday, June 16, 2017, at King’s dog daycare and boarding business Canine Country Club in Ogden.
One of the dogs at Canine Country Club watches as owner Vickie King walks by Friday, June 16, 2017, at the dog daycare and boarding business in Ogden.
Some of Vickie King’s dog clientele greet her in one of the fenced areas at her dog daycare and boarding business Canine Country Club Friday, June 16, 2017, in Ogden. King has 12 exercise areas of varying sizes.
OGDEN — Vickie King’s livelihood sounds like a dog-lover’s dream.
Since 1997, she’s operated the Canine Country Club at her home in West Ogden, providing a haven for dogs to lodge and socialize while their owners go to work or leave town on vacation.
“We run our kennel differently than others. Rather than being in cages, they can roam inside and out, and it’s like having their own little home,” King said of her accommodations that max out at 25 dogs.
The phone message on her answering machine explains they’re booked through mid-August.
“It’s a fun place, but a lot more work than a regular kennel,” King said, comparing it to having two full time jobs. “But it’s worth it.”
King now worries that Weber County’s recent effort to annex “islands” of unincorporated property into their respective cities could unravel her life’s dream. Her property is one of several that could be forced to join Ogden City. This past Tuesday, King attended a Weber County Commission meeting where the issue was discussed.
RELATED: Weber County postpones action after scores of residents rail against annexation
“I went to the meeting, shed my tears, and now I’m doing my research,” she said. “My fear is that Ogden City codes are very different from what we have out here. So I’ll be looking to see if we can remain open.”
According to King, her business is already grandfathered into Weber County because its current ordinance requires two acres for a kennel license and she has only one. And she’s uncertain about what to expect if she suddenly needs to register her business with Ogden City instead.
“I previously worked in the mental health field,” King said. “Then my sister died out of the blue, so I decided I’d devote my life to something I really wanted to do.”
For more than two hours Tuesday, residents and business owners shared their concerns about annexation with Weber County’s Commissioners. King said she felt a kinship with many who spoke. In total, 374 parcels could get annexed into six cities under a new state law that streamlined the process.
In a phone interview Thursday, Greg Montgomery, Ogden’s planning manager, said the annexation could possibly work in King’s favor, even though she’d have another layer of property taxes to pay.
“Generally when something is annexed in, they come in with a nonconforming right so they’re allowed to continue,” Montgomery said. “If they were permitted in the county, they’re permitted by the annexation.”
Story continues after the photo.
SARAH WELLIVER/Standard-Examiner
Canine Country Club owner Vickie King checks in with some of her dog clientele Friday, June 16, 2017, at her dog daycare and boarding business in Ogden.
But in King’s case, Montgomery said her property is situated in one of Ogden’s manufacturing zones where kenneling is a permitted use. The city has no acreage requirement for that purpose.
But annexation’s impact on individual properties will vary depending on which entity currently provides sewer, water and other services.
“She’s probably on Ogden City water, and might be getting charged double since she’s outside the city,” Montgomery said. With the added property tax, “it may be a wash for her. It all depends on each property and circumstance.”
As Montgomery sees it, equity is fueling the annexation effort.
“You have all those people in Ogden City that surround these properties and pay Ogden City taxes. Those in the islands don’t pay that, so their neighbors are subsidizing them,” Montgomery said. “They should be contributing their fair share for the services they receive.”
Grandfathering can be complicated
Grandfathering exempts certain businesses or land owners from restrictions that come by way of implementing new laws, usually defined within a statute or zoning ordinance.
On Tuesday, Commission Chairman James Ebert detailed how grandfathering can disappear: “If you have 10 chickens (in Weber County) and Roy (City) has zero chickens, you get grandfathered in under 10 chickens. Your chickens die off one year, and you have zero chickens — then you fall under Roy City’s code of zero chickens,” Ebert said.
Confusion can happen when properties switch jurisdictions, according to Sean Wilkinson, Weber County’s community and economic development director.
In King’s case, for example, Wilkinson said her kennel is a permitted use in the county’s manufacturing zone. But her house — built in 1948, before zoning laws were enacted — is what actually needs the grandfathering because at least 5 acres are now required for a residence in that type of zone. But in much of Weber County, a kennel license is a conditional use that requires at least two acres, which was the case when she launched her business twenty years ago.
Zoning always in flux
King’s property could face further challenges when construction on Ogden’s full 24th Street interchange off Interstate 15 begins.
That long-awaited project got a boost this year when it was named among those recommended for funding by the Utah Department of Transportation. Early this year, state lawmakers approved $1 billion in bonding to accelerate that work.
RELATED: After 50 years, Ogden’s 24th Street interchange project tentatively funded
Ogden’s interchange is not scheduled for construction until 2023, according Vic Saunders, a UDOT spokesperson.
“We are not buying any property at the moment,” Saunders said. “All the full ‘takes’ have been purchased already, and any ‘takes’ going forward would be partial acquisitions.”
Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell said the city’s planning department is looking at possible zoning changes to govern land use after the interchange project gets built.
“We’re in the preliminary stages for that to make sure zoning is in place for future economic development,” Caldwell said.
Dogs just need some TLC
Ogden resident Wendy Coburn said she’s taken her dogs to King’s Canine Country Club since the 1990s and she values the peace of mind she gets from knowing they’re loved and cared for while she’s gone.
“They’re so excited to go that they howl all the way. Vickie is their other mom,” Coburn said. “Vickie keeps them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. My beagle had a belly ache and she cooked her chicken soup. She loves dogs as if they were her own children.”
If King lost a portion of her property, Coburn said it could be devastating.
Story continues after the photo.
SARAH WELLIVER/Standard-Examiner
Vicki King laughs as her Golden retriever Bert plays with pup friend and regular pitbull client Buddy play Friday, June 16, 2017, at King’s dog daycare and boarding business Canine Country Club in Ogden.
“She portions (dogs) off by size and temperament, with the day care on one side and boarding on the other. She’s very smart about how she runs that thing,” Coburn said.
King, 65, recognizes that she likely can’t work this hard forever. And she also understands that annexation is headed her way, with acquisition possibly not too far behind.
“I want to sleep in my bed and I love my little house, but I know they’ll come through and tear all the little houses down here,” King said. “Since I’m grandfathered, I’m done when I stop the business. We’re in a pickle.”
Contact reporter Cathy McKitrick at 801-625-4214 or cmckitrick@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @catmck.
