New OKC Animal Shelter Plans Unveiled

Groundbreaking for the $42 million, 70,000-square-foot MAPS 4 project could take place as early as this summer, architect says. 

January 5, 2024

Oklahoma City’s new $42 million animal shelter will be a worthy addition to the transformative array of projects made possible through MAPS, the city’s visionary quality-of-life capital improvement program, its proponents say.

Plans for the new animal shelter were unveiled at City Hall during a January 4 meeting of the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board. The board approved the plans detailed in a preliminary report following a presentation from Todd Edmonds, principal at Oklahoma City’s HSEarchitects. “All of the animal habitats will be increased in the new facility, which is one of the major issues with the current facility. They’ve just outgrown the current facility,” Edmonds said.

The new shelter will increase dog kennel space by about 210 percent, and cat habitat space will more than double, Edmonds told the board. Total square footage of the new facility will top 70,000 square feet, 25,000 more than the current facility, built in 1995 and expanded during its lifetime. The new facility will be built on the same property as the existing animal shelter at 2811 Southeast 29^th Street, and the current animal shelter will remain open while construction begins on the new building this fall, pending final approval by City Council. “This is an exciting project,” said Teresa Rose, chair of the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board.

Envisioned as a transformational part of an improved and more humane animal infrastructure, the new shelter was added to the list of MAPS 4 penny sales tax projects approved by city voters in 2019 following a public awareness campaign spearheaded by Kirkpatrick Policy Group. “The animal advocates who campaigned so passionately will be thrilled with this thoughtful, beautiful, and welcoming design,” said KPG board member Louisa McCune, who served as education director for the Paws for MAPS 4 campaign and is now a member of the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board Neighborhoods subcommittee that is working to bring the project to fruition. “Architect Todd Edmonds, (Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Superintendent) Jon Gary, and the staff of the MAPS office have worked diligently to make sure that our new animal shelter meets the high standards of all our city’s visionary MAPS endeavors.”

The new animal shelter will feature separate entrances for adoption, intake, and veterinary services. An attractive adoption lobby will welcome guests, and the plans call for separate wings of dog kennels and cat condos, allowing for natural light throughout, and fenced play areas between each wing. Increased ventilation will help decrease odors, durable polished concrete and epoxy floors will handle traffic and messes, and extensive drainage and plumbing in every kennel will allow staff to keep the facility clean, Edmonds said. Low-cost spay and neuter services will be available, and a new barn to house farm animals is also planned.

These features come at a cost. The estimated cost of construction is about $468 per square foot, a price tag pointed out by MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board Member Russell Pace. The added cost is due to the extensive industrial HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, and flooring features, and, while expensive, these features are necessary to produce a facility that will maintain its luster while being subjected to the rigors that come with operating a large animal shelter, Edmonds said. “Once you get a new, clean facility that doesn’t smell as bad as the current one, you’re going to get a lot of people that would want to volunteer and work here.”

Animal welfare being an essential function of municipal government, the new shelter is an investment that will pay dividends as Oklahoma City continues to grow, McCune said. “An animal shelter of this caliber will create a truly humane city. The societal, business, and even tourism benefits, are, quite simply, incalculable.”

Besides the Oklahoma City Zoo, the city’s animal shelter is the only other department dedicated to animals, receiving 130,000 human visitors and serving more than 24,000 animals annually. “The zoo is one of Oklahoma’s most visited—and beloved—tourism destinations,” McCune said. “The animal shelter, however, has been a sad and upsetting facility, controversial for its insufficiency and dilapidation. Now, we have the promise—in real architectural renderings—of an animal shelter that will be worthy partner to our beautiful zoo.”

Oklahoma City Animal Welfare also provides sheltering services for the cities of Del City, Valley Brook, and Tinker Air Force Base. The shelter receives homeless, abandoned, injured, or sick animals in need, including cats, dogs, rabbits, other small mammals, reptiles, farm animals, and wildlife.

The department’s “Alive in the 405” initiative began in 2019, with a goal of reaching a 90 percent live release rate for animals received at the animal shelter, an industry standard for large cities. A generation ago, Oklahoma City’s live release rate was below 50 percent, but it has risen to more than 85 percent in recent years. The biggest obstacle to reaching this goal is shelter capacity. Oklahoma City Animal Welfare reported the shelter was at 140 percent capacity for dogs on January 3. In late December, the shelter was at 147 percent capacity for dogs. “Part of the pitch for doing this project is that we needed more space so that we would see less euthanasia,” Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper said.

The new animal shelter will function most effectively with adequate operational funding. Neighborhoods subcommittee chair Jessica Martinez-Brooks recommended a follow-up meeting with Mr. Gary, city staff, and others to begin discussion around this topic.

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