A substantial expansion of the Cherryland Humane Society’s headquarters is scheduled to break ground in the spring, giving the organization space for more (and better) animal care.

The 9,000 square-foot, $3 million project will allow the nonprofit to care for up to 20 percent more animals each year, but leaders there are more excited about what it will mean for the quality and effectiveness of the care given to the dogs and cats that wind up at the facility. 

“This is really about being able to create more appropriate, safe, healthy housing for our pets,” shelter manager Tia Barbera tells The Ticker.

The organization, founded in 1956, is one of hundreds of independently governed humane societies in the country and cares for about 600 animals a year, including many rounded up by county animal control officers. It moved into its current building off of Hammond in 2003, but has slowly outgrown this building as the region has boomed.

“We did so much work over the years to modify the space we already have to meet our needs,” Executive Director Heidi Yates tells The Ticker. “But Traverse City is growing, and so is the pet population.”

Beyond capacity issues is the layout of the current building itself, which has proven problematic. As one example, cats are currently sandwiched between two dog units – a poor, loud setup that Yates and Barbera say adds tremendous stress to these felines. This problem will be solved by the expansion and make a “profound difference” in cat care, Yates says.

“We’re pulling those cats out of there and they’re now going to have a whole new cat center where everything's self-contained – their housing, their exams, everything,” she says. “It’s going to be all-encompassing, which everyone is thrilled about.”

Another current issue is lack of a specific dog intake. A dedicated dog intake wing will provide additional quarantine space and greatly streamline that process, Barbera says, reducing stress for both dogs and cats.

“We never know what we’re going to get, and when any animal is coming in, we have to keep our entire population in mind as well. How are we going to keep our entire population healthy and also help this sick puppy?” Barbera says. “(The new wing will also) be a spot for new dogs to settle in and decompress before the transition to shelter life.”

Other highlights of the project, which will add on to both sides of the current building, include an expansion of the in-house medical clinic and a community education center where “the connections between people and pets can be celebrated” through various events and activities.

CHS began plans for the expansion a few years ago and began actively fundraising last year. It raised almost all of its $3 million goal from just 16 donors, with lead support from local philanthropists Robert and Pauline Young and the Traverse City-based Joseph G and Helen I Zimmerman Charitable Trust.

“Honestly, there aren't really any words (to adequately thank our donors),” Yates says. “I've done this 25 years, and I've never worked in a community that's been so amazing and so dedicated to this organization. And it's because of them that this dream is coming true.”

The goal is to begin using the expanded facility in June 2026. It will be business as usual for staff and visitors during construction, save for some construction dust and various detours.

“We have all the permits and we're ready to roll, we're just waiting for the weather,” CHS Board President Bruce Vargo tells The Ticker. “They’re going to start with the parking lot as soon as they can get equipment in here.”