Marion County needs a new animal shelter. The timeline is long, and tempers are short.

The plan to develop a new animal services campus for Marion County has taken a big turn.

Earlier this year, the Roberts family (R+L Carriers, the World Equestrian Center, Golden Ocala) donated 137 acres off County Road 316, between U.S. 301 and U.S. 441, to serve as a home for the campus. But obtaining a special use permit hit a snag after some residents who live nearby complained about potential noise and disruption if hundreds of dogs and cats were housed on-site.

A new plan is now being pursued.

The Roberts family has donated different land — 20 acres — for the animal services campus. That parcel is north of the Ocala International Airport with frontage on State Road 40. It will be the site where small animals (dogs, cats) will be housed.

The first donated land parcel now is being offered to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. The land will be used only for the housing of livestock, such as animals that are abandoned, stray, or seized during investigations, both criminal and civil (ordinance violations). It also will be home to the sheriff's office's horses and cattle.

Not a good fit?

The original plan for the 137 acres was for the county to have 400 kennels on site, though some of that would be for future use.

In August, the county's Planning & Zoning Commission considered the county's request for the special use permit. A county official told that board that Marion has outgrown its current animal services operation, which is near the landfill off Baseline Road and south of Maricamp Road.

This opportunity with the land donation came up, and the county pursued it.

A community meeting was held, and residents who live near the 137-acre site expressed concerns. The county amended its plan, trying to be a good neighbor. But it wasn't enough.

James McGovern, who lives near the site, told the P&Z Commission in August that he didn't mind large animals being held on the 137 acres. But he did worry about 400 dogs. (The county currently has 300 dogs at its Baseline site, but hopes that number will go down. The 400 figure reflected proposed future growth at the donated site.)

"It sounds to me like me we are going to become the entire Marion County dog pound, for lack of a better word, in one spot. It seems to me it's going to be very loud," McGovern said, echoing other people's concerns.

Kimberly Blackburn, who also lives near the 137-acre site, expressed worries about traffic, noise, the lift stations on-site, and possible break-ins at the on-site veterinary clinic.

"I don't know if it's possible to make it where everything is going to be in harmony," she told Planning & Zoning.

A new donation and a new plan

In light of this feedback, county staff came to the Oct. 17 County Commission meeting with the new plan. Commissioners agreed to give up on the 137 acres and allow the sheriff to pursue that part. They also agreed to work with the city of Ocala on annexation and zoning for the new 20-acre parcel by the airport. (Part of the land is in the city and part is in the county; the city will be asked to annex the county's portion.)

The only wrinkle concerned timing. Staff initially said a new facility could be ready for occupancy by September 2026, but Commissioner Michelle Stone wants the doors open by the end of 2025.

"We know we're moving forward," Stone said. The county can proceed with architectural work now instead of waiting for the city to handle its part of the project and then proceeding.

Commissioner Kathy Bryant also urged speed. "I'm tired of talking about this," she said. "We need to get this project moving."

And if there is any inkling that the city won't be able to work things out, she said, then the county should quickly switch gears and build on 60 acres it already owns in Silver Springs.

"The county commission has directed county staff to move forward with initial design and engineering proposal requests, that are not site specific while land use changes are being sought. The goal is to complete the new Animal Services Center by the end of 2025," county government noted in a post-meeting press release.

The county has $2.3 million set aside for this project. It will need about $19 million total. The rest is expected to come from revenue generated by the one-cent sales tax that helps support emergency services, transportation and related areas. This will be one of the projects listed when voters are asked next year to extend the tax for four more years.

'It would have been a dream'

A few people addressed commissioners during the Oct. 17 meeting, thanking them for making sure that only livestock, not small animals, will populate the 137-acre site.

But not everyone was pleased.

Dale Kreutzer of Marion Oaks berated the commission, saying it caved to pressure from a handful of people who live near the 137-acre site and made misguided predictions about their tranquil evenings being disturbed by barking dogs.

"It would have been a dream for this county," she said of the now scuttled facility. "We would have been the envy of the state of Florida to have such a facility for our animals. And what was it gonna hurt? Somebody drinking a bourbon at night and looking at the stars."

She asked: Why not build now, on the 60 acres the county already owns?

Commissioner Carl Zalak later noted that the site near the airport is much better because it's closer to main population centers and easier to access for people coming to adopt pets.

"We don't have a facility that's enough to handle this county, for years. Now we're pussy-footing along, trying to get something — this land, that land," Kreutzer said. "Let's just get it done, people."

Violet Putschko of Dunnellon picked up on the same theme.

"You could have all been heroes," she told commissioners. "Shame on you, all of you."

Putschko said that the current animal services facility is too crowded and is not conducive to people coming in and adopting a new pet. The commission chairman later asked staff to seek a temporary solution to help ease the current facility's burden.

Another woman noted that Marion County adopted a no-kill philosophy for its shelter many years ago. Why has it taken so long for the county to expand its animal services facilities? It knew the animal population would grow significantly.

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The rhetoric from the audience was already heated when a woman who has lived in Marion County for only two years stepped to the microphone. She complained about county government's track record on animal services.

Bryant bristled. She noted that Marion has spent years digging out from the recession. The commission has used one-cent sales tax revenue to catch up on spending for public safety and roads.

"You have not been here. You have no idea what this community has gone through," Bryant told the woman.

The commission is committed to building a new animal shelter, but it takes time.

"This is government. It's not like the private sector," Bryant said. "It doesn't happen overnight. There is a process that you have to go through."

jross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: New plan for Marion County's much needed animal services campus