WVRC emergency pet hospital again seeks new Pewaukee facility to replace Waukesha site
PEWAUKEE - Four years after an earlier plan for a new pet hospital fell through, the Ethos Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center has renewed an effort to build a facility in the city of Pewaukee near its existing Waukesha site.
Ethos-Veterinary Health, which also operates pet facilities in Grafton and the Racine/Kenosha area, wants to replace its current facility at 360 Bluemound Road with a 25,700-square-foot pet medical building in a new location about a half-mile to the north. The new facility, on Pewaukee Road just south of Interstate 94, would have the potential for a 25,000-square-foot later addition.
Pewaukee, which approved the earlier 33,000-square-foot proposal in 2019, wanted to see a detailed plan before it signs off again on a conditional-use permit and related issues. (The Plan Commission on Thursday approved the site plan and recommended that the Common Council approve the CUP as well as rezoning the 20-acre site from B-3 to B-4, an office building designation which does not place limits on the square footage of business buildings.)
The e-WVRC plan still calls for a 24-hour animal hospital open 365 days a year, with 75 staff members (including 20 administrative staffers on duty from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays). The center offers emergency and specialty pet care, specializing in cardiology, surgery, internal medicine, radiology, neurology, dentistry, ophthalmology, oncology, diagnostic imaging, and pain management, according to their application with the city.
Pet hospital officials say they focused the $13 million undertaking for a larger facility "to meet the growing demand for services," according to planning documents submitted by their architectural firm, Keller. But that pursuit has faced some challenges.
According to officials at Basatada LLC, which owns Ethos Veterinary Health, and Keller, the original plan faced difficulties in securing sewer and water utilities for the site. Under the current plan, e-WVRC would connect to Pewaukee's municipal water system and build its own sanitary sewer system, though city officials are considering designing a sewer line that could serve the property by 2025.
"Although, it is certainly staff’s preference that developments extend and connect to both public sewer and water facilities, the required connection in this case is difficult and may garner opposition from the adjacent single-familyresidential subdivision," City Planning Director Nick Fuchs acknowledged in his report to the Plan Commission, noting the sewer line would extend through the Sherwood Forest subdivision.
Company officials also still have to work with Waukesha County officials and gain approvals for access to Pewaukee Road (Highway J), which would likely need added turn lanes.
The Pewaukee Common Council will consider approval of the conditional-use permit and rezoning request when it meets on Oct. 2.
The existing facility on Bluemound Road, about a half-mile to the south, would close once the new facility is complete.
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WVRC emergency pet hospital again plans for new Pewaukee facility
