Aurora’s new animal shelter will break ground this summer, marking the beginning of construction on a project that has been in the works for several years.

In April 2024, the Aurora City Council moved forward with a resolution to create a new animal shelter due to overcapacity at the current facility.

The current shelter was built 40 years ago and the city has grown significantly since then, city officials told councilmembers.

On Monday night, city staff updated city councilmembers on the project to build a new facility, saying construction will start this summer and the shelter is scheduled to open to the public in 2028.

The current shelter is on East 32nd Avenue near the intersection of Chambers Road, and the new shelter will go up adjacent to it.

Once it opens, the new facility will be two stories and 42,000 square feet, staff told the council. The current facility is about 13,000 square feet.

It will have 118 dog kennels and 110 cat kennels, as compared to the current facility’s 74 dog kennels and 77 cat kennels.

The budget is about $51.4 million, with funding coming from the American Rescue Plan Act, certificates of participation, impact fees, capital funds and gifts, according to council documents.