Hamilton County has authorized the purchase of land near Spring Grove Cemetery for a new animal shelter facility, with $10 million slated to kickstart the planning process of the new Cincy CARE Hamilton County shelter facility.
The 80-acre property at Gray and Winton roads is now in the due diligence stage of acquisition.
Additionally, the county commissioners assigned $6.2 million to complete a four-phase renovation of an existing Cincinnati Animal CARE facility on Dane Avenue (also known as Kitty City). It will continue to serve as a secondary pet fostering facility.
“We are so thankful to the Hamilton County commissioners for prioritizing a new animal shelter in Hamilton County,” said Meaghan Colville, shelter director for Cincinnati Animal CARE, Hamilton County’s only open-intake animal shelter, and the sole provider of animal control services for the county.
Colville said the organization’s current primary facility at 3949 Colerain Ave. was built as “the pound” in the mid-1960s and doesn’t meet the needs of modern-day animal sheltering. Aside from general facility issues due to age and neglect, the compound isn’t big enough or designed for what Hamilton County currently needs, she said.
The current building, owned by SPCA Cincinnati, sits on only three acres of land.
“The Colerain shelter is a daily obstacle to our staff and volunteers but despite the challenges, we have been able to bring contemporary, lifesaving animal services to the residents of Hamilton County,” Colville said.
Timeline for the projects
The renovation plan for the Dane Avenue property will begin in January. Cincy CARE originally acquired the warehouse space as an overflow site when the main location experienced a canine distemper virus outbreak in April 2023.
Cincy CARE plans to conduct a four-phase renovation that includes the prioritization of the restructuring of the kenneling in the space intended to make for better living space for the dogs and make cleaning and care of the dogs easier for staff. When construction begins, the organization will rely on help from the community to place the existing dogs and cats in their care in foster and adoptive homes, as the Dane facility will not be able to house animals for several months.
Both projects will take several years to complete. However, officials remain hopeful that they’ll both begin sometime next year and simultaneously.
“We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in a new, modern facility,” Colville said.
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