GEORGETOWN, Del. — Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve plans for an emergency veterinary hospital.
The proposed 24/7 veterinary hospital would specialize in emergency and surgical care for pets. Local pet owners agree this would be a much needed addition.Â
Kaitlin Richards takes her dog Zeke to the dog park in Millsboro to meet up with his friends. She worries about a lack of emergency veterinary services to support these playful pups and other pets.
"I actually lost a cat because we didn't have any access to local emergency services in the middle of the night, and we had to put them down due to it," Richards says.
Plans to operate a veterinary hospital have been proposed in one of three buildings in the Georgetown Professional/Medical Center on Old Laurel Road.
"I love my dog as my child too, so I would like to see one be a lot closer in case something were to happen," says Lauren Pratt of Georgetown.
SPG Development, LLC, aims to amend a conditional use approval granted in June 2022 to include the veterinary facility within the approved building location of the Site Plan.
Town Council voted on Monday to approve a dozen amended conditions of approval. In order to operate, the business would have to follow town requirements for parking, lighting, signage, architecture and buffers.
"The area is booming," says Carolyn Barki of Millville. "It's no one's fault that we're kind of outgrowing our capacity here, but we just have more people than services."
According to a presentation on June 25th, the proposed hospital would feature soundproofing materials to minimize noise and include a fenced area where recovering dogs can be taken outside to go to the bathroom.Â
"Definitely an animal hospital needs to be here, says Mary Beth Murray of Bethany Beach. "As much as Beebe is growing for humans, we need to grow for our pets."
"This gives people in Sussex County, not only Georgetown, but the people in Sussex County somewhere to go," Mayor West said.
The project plans and history of approvals are linked on Monday night's Town Council agenda.