Berkeley Humane breaks ground on new modern facility for animal care

BERKELEY — Berkeley Humane, a more than a century old animal shelter and clinic serving the East Bay and beyond, broke ground on a state-of-the-art facility over the weekend that promises to greatly expand the nonprofit’s services.

Phase 1 of the new facility, dubbed the Bay Area Animal Resource Center, or BAARC, will open in the same location as the original center at 2700 Ninth St. after a roughly two-year construction process.

Once complete, the new center will include a 6,000-square-foot medical and adoption center, 2,500-square-foot dog pavilion and courtyard, cat care lounge, surgical suites, recovery areas, and pharmacy. The center will also offer behavioral, social and educational training programs along with other safety-net services.

Another 10,000-square-foot expansion is pla