Plans for an animal adoption center and clinic on the south side of Crown Point were halted by a 4-3 vote from city council members amidst months of residents voicing support and opposition for the location.
At the Oct. 5 Crown Point City Council meeting, New Leash on Life’s founders went before the council to petition a zoning variance for 19 acres of undeveloped land at 12430 South Court Street.
Donna Burrell Pace, founder of New Leash on Life, said while the opposing votes were “definitely a blow” for the organization, she and her team are hopeful from the flood of calls, emails and messages they have received since Monday’s meeting.
“We had so much support throughout Crown Point and throughout the region,” said Dr. Danielle Kreis, DVM, New Leash Consulting Veterinarian. “It was really nice to kind of see everyone come together for a common cause that would help not only the animals, but the people in our community.”
Previously at the Aug. 24 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, board members unanimously voted for an unfavorable recommendation for the zoning variance on the property.
In support of New Leash on Life’s location of choice, Councilwoman Laura Sauerman motioned to overturn the BZA’s unfavorable recommendation. Her motion drew ‘yes’ votes from Councilmen Zack Bryan and Robert Clemons, however Councilmen Chad Jeffries, Andrew Kyres, Joe Sanders and Scott Evorik voted against the motion 4-3.
When the council moved to vote on rezoning the land, Sauerman, Bryan and Clemons voted in favor, but the motion was defeated 4-3 by Jeffries, Kyres, Sanders and Evorik.
The 20,000-square-foot animal adoption center, pet food pantry and low-cost veterinary clinic was planned for the swath of open land along south Court Street across from the YMCA Dean and Barbara White Southlake YMCA and the now-demolished Franciscan St. Anthony hospital.
During the last few months, Crown Point officials received a wave of feedback from residents on both sides of the issue.
Some of the communications have gotten heated, as noted by some of the council members at the meeting. Sanders, an opponent of the location, said he recently received an angry phone call from someone saying they will vote him out of the council if he votes against the zoning ordinance. Sauerman, a supporter of the adoption center, said she received “disrespectful and insulting” emails over the matter.
Residents and several nonprofit organizations like St. Jude House, Crown Point Community Foundation, Whiskers in Winfield, Feline Community Network Resource Center, Blue Warrior Tactics Inc., Humane Indiana, and The Humane Society of Hobart have been outspoken in their support of New Leash on Life’.
Residents of a nearby neighborhood have also been vocal about their opposition to the rezoning, raising concerns about noise, property values, traffic, allergens, outdoor lighting, stray animals and odor.
Both sides turned out in numbers at city hall.
“The hallway was packed so that I couldn’t get in,” Sauerman said at the meeting. “There were people who wanted to speak that were in the hallways who were not able to get in.”
Safety was another part of the discussion, in which neighbors feared the escape or dumping of large dogs. Evorik said he has read everyone’s emails over the months, stating, “There’s no way I want it in this spot.”
“We all agree that we could use it, but nobody wants it here,” Evorik said. “I’ve been thinking about it for two months. Let’s say someone comes from the north, south, anywhere, and brings a violent dog there and says, ‘We do not want this anymore’ and they set it on your doorstep. And you guys say, ‘No we can’t take that.’ Do you think those people are going to try and go somewhere else? They’re going to leave it right there, and it’s going to go into the neighborhoods right across the street, or going to one of the kids walking from the high school, or Eisenhower Elementary where my daughter goes, or the YMCA with all those kids going out. That’s what scares the hell out of me.”
However, Clemons said he saw the shelter as another step towards a safer community with less stray animals.
“Dreams do come true. …I can’t see any way we cannot support this,” Clemons said. “I came here in ‘96. This isn’t the first full house I have seen. I’ve been here a long time, longer than anyone has sat in this seat and I am glad I got to be here tonight. We were fighting the cat and dog system in ‘96. But now it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel if we can stand up and take out our differences… We need this, and if it’s done the way it’s been said here tonight, we’d be a fool to turn it down.”
In the meeting, Pace’s team presented plans for sound-proof construction, engineering plans and policies for animals to be supervised when outside.
During public comment, Rhonda Wendt, of Crown Point, talked about her experience living 50 feet away from Smith Animal Clinic, which also boards dogs.
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“I understand both sides,” Wendt said. “For the people who are concerned about noise and smell. …We hear no noise, have no complaints, there are no smells. The dogs are walked next door, and the grandkids love it. And the building is old, it’s from 1970. I’m sure whatever is being built today is going to be more insulated and better quality than what was built in 1970. I think we do have a need for an animal shelter. I’m letting you know I am 50 feet away from where, at any given time 30 dogs are being boarded and walked several times a day. We never smell a thing…I don’t hear any barking when we’re out in our pool. We have no complaints. If anyone thinks it’s going to be a huge issue, for those who have never lived near animals, I want them to know it’s not an issue.”
The next steps for the organization could be to appeal the council’s decision or to find another location to pursue. Pace said right now they have no prospective second location, but will continue the search.
“We need a minimum of five acres, and we need a city facility that’s in the community that’s visible,” Pace said. “This was 19, almost 20 acres, completely surrounded heavily by woods with a pond. The closest home was almost two football fields away. So giving perspective to that, trying to find another piece of property in the city limits for Crown Point is slim. We’ve already looked at three other places before we decided on this one, and the other three just would not work for many different reasons. …This was the first one that actually would work.”
Meanwhile, New Leash on Life is continuing to work with other nonprofits and foster networks, as well as potentially creating a low-cost mobile veterinary and animal care service.
Those interested in learning more about the organization can visit newleashcp.org, email [email protected] or call Pace at 219-281-2856.
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.