Berkeley Humane will build bigger facility at its home of 91 years

Work to build a new, significantly expanded facility for Berkeley Humane, at the same West Berkeley location it has occupied for 91 years, is expected to begin by in late spring. The nonprofit submitted demolition and building permits to the city in November and hopes to receive approval to begin demolition of the existing building by June.

The new one-story building at 2700 Ninth St. (at Carleton Street), will be named the Bay Area Animal Resource Center (BAARC), and will include a veterinary medical hospital and an adoption center, the nonprofit said in a release. 

“We have been on that street corner for 91 years, and the building is long past its useful life,” Berkeley Humane Executive Director Jeffrey Zerwekh told Berkeleyside. 

The new facility will focus on services for pet owners who struggle to access care, shifting from primarily an adoption center to a resource hub that provides “more programs and services to keep pets in homes where they belong,” he said.

The nonprofit said the project will be funded through community donations, including “leadership level gifts.” Though building estimates are still being finalized, the project is expected to cost about $15 million. The public fundraising phase is expected to launch in a few months. 

Berkeley Humane is not affiliated with and does not receive “regular” support from national animal welfare organizations or government agencies. Its budget this year is about $4.8 million for programs and services, Zerwekh said. 

Services to continue during construction, but will be impacted

Zerwekh said he was initially advised to shut down Berkeley Humane’s services for the two years of construction, but he refused. “I understand that might be easier, but there’s nothing easy about animal welfare,” Zerwekh said. “That would be a tremendous loss to our community and a disruption to our staff and our volunteers.”

Although many services will continue to be offered at other locations, they are expected to be impacted during the building work. The organization said it would have to “get creative” to continue providing animal rescue and adoptions with its volunteers, staff, and shelter partners. Zerwekh said some of their 400 volunteers who provide vital animal care, walk dogs, and clean litter boxes would be displaced during the transition, but Berkeley Humane is working to identify how they can stay involved even if their roles are no longer available.

Berkeley Humane preserved most staff roles except for one full-time and four part-time positions related to onsite animal care, Zerwekh said. He said those impacted staff were given 30 days’ notice. “It is always sad to make a shift like this, which is why change is hard, but we are keeping an eye on putting resources where they are most needed,” Zerwekh said. The nonprofit now has 32 staff on the payroll. Organizers of the union representing Berkeley Humane workers declined to comment.

Zerwekh said Berkeley Humane’s priority is to relocate the low-cost veterinary care program to a temporary facility in the East Bay by March or April and continue providing services to pet families. In the meantime, the organization will work through February to set up adoptions through fosters and mobile adoptions. 

Berkeley Humane’s dog-training program Train the Bay and its community Pet Food Pantry program, which are hosted in an adjoining facility, are not expected to be disrupted during the construction.

Zerwekh said the pet resource center is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027, and will feature “state-of-the-art” veterinary, adoption, training and education programs.

The new facility includes a “significantly enlarged” space for cat adoptions, and several “catios” will provide felines with natural light and fresh air. A small courtyard will lead to a secondary structure designed to house canine companions, according to the organization’s website. 

Serving Berkeley pet owners since 1933

An undated photo shows a man and a dog in a Berkeley Humane vehicle parked on Carleton Street. Credit: Berkeley Humane Society

Berkeley Humane has been located in West Berkeley since 1933, when local community leaders allotted parcels of land to provide safe havens for stray, abandoned and abused animals. The facility was significantly remodeled in 1950, expanding its veterinary program.

The nonprofit works closely with city-run shelters like Berkeley Animal Care Services (BACS) to reduce euthanasia rates of healthy Bay Area animals. The organization offers adoptions, spay and neuter procedures, microshipping, dog training and other resources for pet families. BACS, on the other hand, offers animal control services, enforces city ordinances related to animals, impounds stray animals, and investigates cases of animal cruelty and neglect.

A fire ravaged Berkeley Humane on May 20, 2010, killing 15 cats and wreaking $1.5 million worth of damage on the building. A large part of the facility was destroyed, making the second floor inaccessible, Berkeley Humane said.

The nonprofit is seeking donations and legacy gifts from individuals and families for naming opportunities for the new facility. The nonprofit said community support is essential to create the resource center. 

“We’re finding a way to continue to serve the community. It’s going to look slightly different, but it’s in the direction of where the overall program was intended to go,” Zerwekh said.