Maricopa County Animal Care and Control officials have announced plans for a new East Valley facility scrapping previous plans to consolidate all shelter services to a central location.
The new facility will be located at the county-owned campus at Mesa Drive and Baseline Road.
The current East Valley shelter at Loop 101 and Rio Salado Parkway will remain open until the new shelter is built.
Officials said the new shelter would offer the same services as the Rio Salado location but in a space deemed better for the animals.
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"Our goal has and will always be the care and comfort of our animals within our facility," says Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Executive Director Mary Martin. "The current East shelter simply does not meet industry standards. A new facility will help keep animals there comfortable, healthy and adoptable and give ample coverage to that community as well."
Maricopa County is also considering improvements to the centrally-located shelter near I-17 and Durango.
"Maricopa County's East Valley campus offers an ideal location because there's no land cost and the infrastructure is already there," said Deputy County Manager Reid Spaulding. "That means a greater percentage of our money can go toward our primary mission of caring for animals and finding more of them permanent homes."
A timeline for the projects has not been determined.
