Studio City : Neighbors Frustrated Over Pet Store’s Plans

Local residents and the owners of a Ventura Boulevard pet-supply shop were unsuccessful this week in resolving neighbors’ concerns about the shop’s plans to begin dog-grooming activities.

Wednesday night’s meeting was sponsored by City Councilman Mike Feuer’s office after the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals upheld a zoning administrator’s granting Petco a variance to groom dogs and sell small pets.

Neighbors of Petco, located just east of Coldwater Canyon Avenue, say the grooming service will create noise, odors, traffic and parking problems in the area. They said they are also upset because the zoning administrator granted the variance without a public hearing.

On Wednesday, the possibility of compromise between the two sides seemed unlikely after one neighbor said he had already filed an appeal of the appeals board decision to the City Council, according to Sharon Mayer, Feuer’s chief field deputy.

“The neighbors weren’t interested in any kind of compromise,” Mayer said.

Because of the variance, the pet supply shop can now sell mice, lizards and other small animals, but not dogs and cats. Although the zoning board upheld the variance, it imposed a number of restrictions on Petco, including shorter hours, a ban on dog-training classes and limits on vaccination activities.

The meeting was the second of two in the past two months among neighbors, Petco managers and the council office.