The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved a new veterinary hospital and two pared down swimming pool variances on Thursday, April 1.
The application by veterinarian Marcos Unis required a special exception use approval for a “veterinarian’s clinic with an outside run” at 10465 Southern Blvd. in the Village Shoppes plaza at the northwest corner of State Road 7 and Southern Blvd.
The clinic is located on an approximately 20,000-square-foot outparcel fronting Southern Blvd. The approval only allows for the dog walk, it does not state where the dog walk will be on the property. The applicant will return for that approval.
The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve the measure, and village staff also recommended approval.
The clinic’s specialty is as a referral hospital that offers many of the same services as a human hospital. It will be a state-of-the-art facility where CAT scans, MRIs and other services will be available, along with other advanced medical equipment and procedures.
While the clinic will not be a boarding facility, the applicants asked for a variance so they can have the walking area for the patient animals to be exercised while they are recuperating before they return home. The walk will have PVC fencing so that no one can see in, and there will be Astroturf put down for the ground covering.
“I’d like to thank you for coming to the community,” Mayor Fred Pinto said.
Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas agreed. “That is a very difficult place, and I’m hoping you being there is going to be very good,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you prosper.”
Next up were two requests for setback variances to allow for swimming pools. The council usually makes it a habit of sticking to the code and issues variances judiciously. The Planning & Zoning Commission and village staff both recommended against approval.
“I am sure when you bought the house, the salesperson told you there was room for a pool,” said Pinto, noting an issue that has come up before in the case of pool variances.
The council worked with the homeowners to somewhat reduce the size of the pool and patio, so they required a smaller variance.
“If you don’t receive approval tonight, you have to start again from square one,” Pinto explained. “This way you can move ahead tomorrow.”
Both sets of applicants said that they were happy with the changes and the approvals.
In other business, all the existing resident members of the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Recreation Advisory Board and the Education Advisory Board whose terms were expiring expressed interest in continuing in their posts. The council re-appointed these volunteers unanimously.
