A group of South Street residents fear their building may be going to the dogs.

Renovations began last month on a 13,000-square-foot kennel and day care for dogs on the long-vacant ground floor and basement of 85 South Street. Tenants in the 108-year-old, five-story building worry about what life will be like with dozens of dogs for downstairs neighbors.

Called Fetch Club and due to open next month, the kennel is being billed as “New York City’s largest dog hotel.” Several of the upstairs tenants brought their concerns to last month’s meeting of Community Board 1’s Seaport/Civic Center Committee with little available information about the new business, but plenty of concerns. A Facebook page announced the company’s plans for a dog “spa, fitness center and boutique.” But it was silent on the owners’ identity and contact information.

“If we could get someone to sit down with us and show us what’s going to go in there, that would be a relief,” Meri Lobel, a 32-year tenant in the building, said later in an interview.

The building’s age makes it a poor candidate for a kennel, the residents say. The original thin floorboards separate floors and the tenants said they worry about noise, especially at night.

“If a dog is barking that’s not much insulation,” said second-floor tenant Sean Daly.  “Let alone 50 or 60 dogs.”

Tenant Paul Gruberg mentioned other logistical issues. “How will the Sanitation Department feel about collecting piles of poop, or will it be flushed into the city sewers,” Gruberg wondered, noting that the building already suffers from unpredictable plumbing.

“We don’t even have ventilation in our bathrooms,” said Nora Walker, a tenant. “We just wonder how they’re going to vent the sewage.”

Late last month, the Trib was able to contact the kennel owners, Peter Balestrieri and his partner Janna Lee, who also live in the Seaport. In a phone interview, they spoke to the tenants’ concerns.

“I think people are a little hesitant and afraid because all they know so far is that there are going to be dogs in the building,” Lee said, noting that every dog will have to pass a “temperament check” before being enrolled in Fetch Club. “The dogs aren’t just here to run around. We have a lot of programs and activities to keep them active, but also to keep them relaxed and comfortable.”

According to Balestrieri, dogs would occupy just the 6,000-square-foot first floor. Along with a “boutique lounge,” grooming section and boarding area, a 5,000-square-foot play space is planned. He said it would be surfaced with artificial turf that allows urine to pass into a collection drain below. Balestrieri said six inches of soundproofing foam will be installed in the ceiling of the ground floor.  He has yet to finalize plans for ventilating the smells, but said that the system would be "tenant friendly."

"We want [the tenants] to know that we do have their interest in mind, and that we are doing these things to protect them," Balestrieri said. "We wouldn't do any of this if we thought it was going to be harmful to the tenants or the neighborhood."

The owners said they had been waiting for city permits for the interior work before requesting a meeting with the tenants. Those permits were secured on Feb. 19. Now, he said, he was ready to answer their questions. “We’re preparing ourselves to do that, now that things are a little more certain,” he said.

Along with their quality of life worries, the residents questioned whether the building’s zoning district, C5, allows for a kennel. The owners insist that it does. The certificate of occupancy for 85 South Street lists the building in “Use Group 16,” which includes kennels.

Told of the owners’ response to the tenants concerns, Lobel said she still had her doubts about the club's ability to minimize its impact on the tenants.

"Given the age of our building, it's difficult to image that they could really contain the noise and the odors effectively," Lobel said. "It's still a big space, and 30 to 40 dogs indoors are going to make a considerable amount of noise. I guess I'm not sure if that kind of bark management is possible."

Gruberg, on the other hand, said Lee and Balestrieri sounded like they were taking "pretty extensive measures" in the tenants' interest.

"If they really can solve the noise and sanitation issues, then I'm all for it," he said.

"It's a big change to the building," Gruberg added, "and I think people are just curious about what kind of change it's going to be."