Lower Makefield supervisors will weigh in on proposed pet hotel

A K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel – an upscale site with play yards for up to 125 dogs – now is under review by Lower Makefield Township officials.

Township supervisors within the next 45 days will act on the proposal at 748 Stony Hill Rd., adjacent to KinderCare Learning Co. daycare for children but separated by a fence. The plan already has received a favorable recommendation from the township planning commission.

MRG Stony Hill Ltd. Partnership seeks a conditional use approval for the kennel in the township’s Historic Commercial Zoning District because it is not an approved use for that zone.

At a recent supervisors’ meeting, MRG representatives detailed the plan and said the site would be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for drop-off and pick-up weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends. The facility will employ about 30 and provide a “low-stress, high enjoyment environment,” according to the representatives.

There are three levels of accommodations, according to MRG:  luxury at 8 feet by 8 feet with a television that plays ‘Animal Planet’ or the ‘Dog Channel;’ executive at 5 by 7, and traditional compartments.

Pricing has not yet been determined, said MRG representatives.

K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Horel has 45 franchises nationwide, including five in Pennsylvania like the one in New Britian Township.

Solid, sound-lowering fencing around the dog runs help reduce noise, including dog barking, according to an acoustics engineer at the meeting.

Under the township’s zoning ordinance, a kennel requires five acres at five dogs per acre maximum, without a variance. The proposed site is seven acres. Supervisors have 45 days to make a decision on the conditional use, said Supervisor Chairman Daniel Grenier.