The Rockport Planning Board will convene March 27 to consider applications for new businesses, including a beauty shop and a facility offering aquatic fitness for dogs. The board will also review a proposal by a Rockport resident to operate a day care service from her home.

An application filed at the Rockport Town Office on behalf of Stephanie and James Turner seeks the review of a lease agreement for a beauty business within the building at 330 Commercial Street (Route 1). The application was submitted by the property owner, Douglas Clayton, and proposes that the Turner’s business would operate within an 800 square foot space.

Referred to in the application as the “Turner Salon Project,” the business may offer beauty treatments and hair care and would be located to the rear of a bridal business already operating from the building.

The board will consider a site review of an application by Joyce Mohr to construct a two-story building on the foundation of the demolished P.A.W.S. animal adoption center on Camden Street. The application was filed by Allen Mitchell, President of McCormick and Assoiciates Inc., on behalf of Mohr. 

“The first floor will be leased as an animal therapy business and the second floor will be used as an office by the owner’s spouse and set up as a future apartment,” wrote McCormick, in a memo to the board. The building would be accessed via Route 1 (Commercial Street) from an entrance shared by the Camden Hospital for Animals at 6 Commercial Street.

McCormick said the process will involve recovering foundation walls, removing slab and recapping walls before starting construction. The desired timeline for the project is to begin this spring and be completed by the fall of 2019. Engineering work is currently being completed to address site work, highway entrance, sewer and Department of Environmental Protection Act requirements.

At a Feb. 27 Planning Board meeting, Mohr said the first floor of the business would offer canine aquatic therapy. A rendering of the proposed structure, drafted by Gartley & Dorsky Engineers, depicts a 21’x13’ pool on the first floor of the building, as well as ramps and an area for a dog shower. The Planning Board will conduct a site visit of the 146 Camden Street at 5 p.m. on March 27.

The board will consider a site review of an application from Roiya Doyle to operate a home day care center for children from an existing building at 7 Winding Way. Doyle expects the business would accommodate from six to 12 children and hours of operation would be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the possibility of an early drop-off time of 7:30 a.m. and a late pickup time of 5:30 p.m. State approval is also being sought for the business, which would use an existing driveway for parking.

The Planning Board meeting will be held Wednesday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House.