Alachua County commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to move forward with the construction of a new animal shelter on University of Florida-owned land.
Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler voted against the decision, and Commissioner Charles Chestnut IV was not present for the vote.
The decision allows Alachua County Animal Services to begin designing a new shelter on a roughly 12-acre site off Old Archer Road. The property currently houses UF’s Swine Unit and sits within walking distance of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
The vote had been postponed from the county’s first meeting of the year because a lease agreement with UF was not finalized in time for a decision, according to Alachua County Animal Services Interim Director Gina Peebles.
At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners had the option to choose between the UF site and the Weseman Tract, a county-owned property in eastern Alachua County near the existing animal shelter.
Commissioners who supported the UF location cited its visibility, accessibility and proximity to campus as deciding factors. They emphasized the potential to attract more students who may not have access to personal vehicles.
“ I was a student. I didn’t have a car. I couldn’t get out to [animal services],” Commissioner Mary Alford said during the meeting. “We’re going to need volunteers that are going to have to do that work. Those volunteers have to get out there and not all the volunteers have the privilege of being able to drive that far away.”
Commissioner Anna Prizzia said the need for a new shelter has been urgent since she joined the commission more than five years ago and that Tuesday’s decision was necessary to do what’s right for the community and the animals.
“I don’t want to wait any longer. I don’t want to wait for the perfect site because I’m afraid the perfect site will never show itself,” Prizzia said.
The push to build a new animal shelter dates back to 2021, when the county began formally exploring options to replace the current Animal Services facility. A needs assessment presented to commissioners described degrading kennels, overcrowding and a building that is “too small in almost every program area.”
The existing shelter, built in 1987, was designed to operate as a kill shelter, with animals typically staying only a few days before being euthanized. Since then, the county has shifted to a life-saving model that prioritizes adoption, fostering and longer stays while animals are placed into permanent homes.
With only 105 dog kennels, according to interim director Peebles, the current building is not equipped for the task.
“The space that we currently house our dogs is just inadequate for them staying with us for a longer period of time,” Peebles said.
Courtesy: Alachua County Board of County Commissioners
Preliminary plans for the new shelter call for approximately 300 dog kennels, a foster lobby and play yards equipped with shade structures and splash pads, according to plans from an Animal Welfare Advisory Committee meeting in August 2023.
Despite the commission’s vote, residents who spoke during the public comment period largely opposed placing the shelter on UF land. Several residents expressed concern about whether the partnership would complicate decision-making.
Brian Bisher, an Alachua County resident with 25 years of experience in emergency veterinary care, said he worried that locating the shelter on university property would weaken county decision-making.
“My concern is that it’s a county facility,” Bisher said. “The county should be the ones that are in charge of it and have that sole voice.”
Supporters of the Weseman tract also pointed out the steep cost of leasing the university’s land. Once the lease is finalized, the county expects to pay UF $1 million for a 30-year lease.
However, Commissioner Ken Cornell said UF’s willingness to lease the land at a reduced cost signaled a meaningful partnership.
“The fact that UF is making land available to this community is a big deal,” Cornell said. “It was a $3 million-deal, which is probably the value, and now it’s a $1 million deal.”
Cornell acknowledged lingering public distrust surrounding animal services and said the county will continue to invest in its current shelter as the new location is finalized.
“We need to start to reestablish trust in our community with regards to the priority that we’re taking for this shelter,” he said.
Peebles said the county has already reached out to an architect and a construction manager and is prepared to begin meetings now that the location has been finalized. Construction on the new shelter is expected to take about two years to complete.
Before any work can begin, the county needs to determine whether the UF site is acceptable for the development and operation of the new shelter. Once that is determined, the county and university will sign the lease agreement.
County commissioners will continue to discuss what should be done with the current shelter after the new facility is operational.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
