At its Aug. 9 meeting, the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) approved an application to allow animal grooming and boarding at the old CVS property, paving the way for the full renovation of the old property.

At its June meeting, the PZC approved an application to turn the former CVS property located at 14 East Main Street into a veterinary hospital. However, that was only the first step in getting the now vacant building redeveloped. The applicant, Doron Berger, had initially wanted to turn the property into a veterinary hospital that also includes a grooming, day care, and boarding service. The veterinary hospital will take up the bulk of the building with about 5,000 square feet dedicated to that use.

While the veterinary hospital was approved, the grooming, day care, and boarding uses were not permitted in the B-3 zone. The applicant then filed a petition to change the zoning regulations to allow the use by special exception in the zone. That application was also approved earlier in the summer.

Once the zoning change was approved, that paved the way for Berger, who currently operates Shoreline Veterinary Hospital in Clinton, to submit an application for the grooming and boarding services.

The commission voted to approved the application by a vote of six in favor and two against. As a condition of approval, the PZC stipulated that no more than five dogs may be allowed outside at one time for walks or bathroom breaks to control the noise.

Prior to the PZC vote a public hearing over the changes was held. The only speaker was Bill Russell, who spoke against the application. Russell’s concerns centered around any possible odors associated with the business and that the business being located in the town’s center wasn’t central to the plan the town’s Economic Development Commission laid out for the town.

“It seems like this would be more suited to a less populated area,” Russell said.

Commission members Alan Kravitz and Mary Ellen Dahlgren voted against the application over similar concerns.

Agents for the applicants said that sound proofing materials and techniques would be used to cut down on noise. A plan is also in place for proper disposal of animal waste.

Berger filed the first application to redevelop the former CVS space in April. At the time he told the PZC he was interested in capitalizing on the expanded space the 8,800-square-foot former CVS building offered. Berger said there would be no exterior changes to the building beyond “sprucing it up.”

Agents for the application have said that the business would be open Monday to Saturday and operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday. There would be reduced operating hours on Saturdays. They said that there would be no after-hours emergency services offered.

News of Berger’s application was largely met with enthusiasm from a public eager to see something go into the old pharmacy space. The building has been vacant since May 2019 and the presence of an empty large store in the heart of Clinton’s downtown was often cited as good development opportunity as well as criticized at the same time for reflecting poorly on the town.

Ken Larson, the owner of the property at 14 East Main Street, explained to the Harbor News in 2020 that CVS’s lease on the property ran through the end of January 2021, and that a new tenant was not possible until that lease was up.