BY STACIE LETT CAIN
Mooresville commissioners expressed support for the concept of allowing a cat café in downtown, but that was tempered by a desire to protect other business owners.
Because the Town of Mooresville does not have a distinction between a cat café and traditional animal shelter or kennel, the town board was asked during Tuesday’s meeting to approve a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance to allow a use for a cat café and how that type of business would be regulated.
But instead of allowing by-right classification, commissioners decided a conditional rezoning classification was a better approach.
“I just don’t feel comfortable not giving neighbors to a business like this the opportunity to speak out if they have a problem with it,” said Commissioner Eddie Dingler. “I don’t want someone able to come back to us after the fact and tell us we didn’t protect them.”
Cat cafés are starting to take hold in many U.S. cities. There are currently 18 in North Carolina, including in Asheville, Raleigh and Charlotte.
Amy Doughten and Roni Laberbera, owners of Cat About Town, are proposing a cat café in downtown Mooresville. But concerns about the time frame for navigating a conditional zoning restriction may keep the business from landing in the Mooresville area.
“The problem with putting a conditional zoning on us is that it poses an additional burden of entry into opening a business like this,” Doughten explained to the board. “It adds time and includes requiring any prospective landlord to make application to the board and that’s not something that we think is sustainable for us to do. We would likely have to go somewhere else and we really don’t want to do that. Mooresville’s downtown has a vitality we wanted to be a part of and we hope we will have that opportunity.”
Doughten explained how the cats would be integrated into the café, which would serve beverages and snacks and allow patrons to bring in outside food.
“The cats would only be allowed in the cat lounge area,” Doughten explained. “There will be separate air systems and all food, litter boxes and a retreat area for the cats will be away from where the people will be enjoying their time with the cats.”
The cats, which would be brought to the café from certified rescues, would be fully vetted, dewormed and under veterinarian supervision. They would be available for adoption by people who make a special connection while enjoying their coffee.
“This process has allowed thousands of adult cats to be adopted that may not have been in a traditional shelter scenario,” Doughten said.
Commissioner Lisa Qualls said she didn’t feel the board had enough information to make the new business categorization a by-right zoning.
“I have adopted four cats. I am a cat person,” she explained. “But I don’t think we have enough information about this yet to make sure we are protecting everyone who may be neighboring this business.”
Mayor Chris Carney agreed that he felt the board supported the basic idea of having the cat café in downtown Mooresville, and also felt that with the help of town staff, the process may not be as arduous as the applicants believed.
“We just need to make sure we have all of our bases covered, but we don’t want that process to prohibit this business coming here.”
The board voted to grant conditional zoning to the business of cat café’s and once a location is found that is suitable for placement of the business, the board will have the opportunity to vote on its placement.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the town also expanded the downtown social district for the downtown Bands, Brews and BBQ festival to be held September 13.
The social district will temporarily include Liberty Park, where the event will be held. A social district allows possession and consumption of open containers of alcohol in designated areas. The containers have to be marked with the social district logo and cannot be taken outside of the marked area. This encourages foot traffic throughout the area and supports small businesses.