Guelph Humane Society finds a new home (hopefully)

The Guelph Humane Society may have finally found a new home.

The GHS, which has been looking for a new location for several years to replace its overcrowded and aging spot at 500 Wellington St. W., has tentatively purchased a 2.5-acre piece of land in a business park in the city's south end.

The location is 190 Hanlon Creek Blvd., just west of the Hanlon Expressway and just north of Laird Road. It is adjacent to a large wooded area.

"We're very excited and I know the community and our supporters are going to be excited to hear this," said GHS Executive Director Adrienne McBride.

The humane society is scheduled to appear before the city's Committee of Adjustment on June 22 seeking a minor variance it needs to build the new facility.

The GHS needs a minor variance from the city to allow it to operate that type of business on property zoned in the Official Plan as a corporate business park

The GHS has been at its current location for almost 45 years, a property it shares with the city's wastewater treatment plant. That plant is scheduled to expand and the GHS has been told it needs to find a new home.

"We've known all along that as much as Wellington Street is our home that we were going to need a new one. It's been good to us but we;ve been here a long time and it's starting to show its age and doesn't really meet best practices for a facility any more," McBride said.

She said there is no established timeline for the new facility and the exact cost won't be known until it moves ahead into the design phase.

If and when the property is cleared for the new facility, a fundraising campaign will be held.

"We've always been quietly fundraising for a new facility, but once we know more details we will definitely be fundraising in the community," McBride said.

It has been looking for a new property since 2014 and in 2015 it backed out of a location on Speedvale Avenue after it was later deemed unsuitable.

In its submission to the Committee of Adjustment, McBride says the new location allows for greater visibility, is adjacent to green spaces, is big enough to allow for expanded programming and has improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

"There are limited options that are within the city limits that meet our criteria, are reasonably affordable and are not located within proximity to residential areas," McBride wrote to the committee.

A conditional purchase of the property took place in Apr. 2016.