This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the location of New York City’s newest animal shelter. The 47,000-square-foot Bronx home for rescued, missing, and abandoned creatures will be designed by global firm Mott MacDonald.
Last year, city shelters placed 93 percent of its dogs and cats with pet parents through public adoption or through the city’s adoption partner program. The shelter system, which contracts with nonprofit Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) to provide services, takes in an average of 30,000 animals across in all five boroughs annually.
With space for 70 dogs, 140 cats, 30 rabbits, and 20 other animals, plus ACC offices, this will be the Bronx’s first full-service shelter.
“We are a completely different organization than we were even five years ago. We have become the go-to resource for NYC animal related issues—from pet adoption to rescue to help with keeping pets and families together,” said ACC President and CEO Risa Weinstock, in a prepared statement. “We are excited to bring that level of service to the Bronx, with the addition of a new facility.”
The East Bronx facility, pictured above, will cost $60 million to build.
The city is also renovating an existing shelter in East New York, Brooklyn, to meet demand for animal care services. Pending a successful Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the Bronx building is slated to open in 2024, while renovations on the Brooklyn building will be complete in 2022.