Petco coming to Austintown

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Petco Animal Supplies is planning to open a new location in the Wal-Mart plaza at 6009 Mahoning Ave.

A letter sent to the Austintown zoning inspector says the store intends to offer pet grooming, doggie day care and occasional pet training and veterinary services.

The location would occupy 12,000 square feet in a storefront left vacant by a Sears Appliance and Hardware store that closed late last year. New Century Development Corp., of Youngstown, is undertaking the project.

The Petco store would occupy about half of the structure vacated by Sears. Zoning Inspector Darren Crivelli said there is interest in the remaining retail space, so the plaza could potentially be fully occupied in the near future.

In February, the Austintown Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to grant Petco a conditional-use permit allowing the store to include a kennel for the doggie day care. The day care will not offer overnight stays or include outdoor activities.

Mike Fagan, of Olsavsky Jaminet Architects, Inc. in Youngstown, represented both Petco and New Century Development at the meeting of the board of appeals. He said Petco intends to include the day care based on inquiries from Austintown customers. Fewer than five percent of its stores offer the service, according to a letter from Petco.