Kansas City’s new animal shelter opens New Year’s Day. Here’s a look inside

The Kansas City Campus for Animal Care, the first shelter built for the city, will hold a soft opening to the public at noon on New Year’s Day.

The campus, managed by KC Pet Project, is located at 7077 Elmwood Avenue, down the street from the Kansas City Zoo and Starlight Theatre. The old location, at 4400 Raytown Road, is closed.

The new campus is “much more than just an adoption center,” said Tori Fugate, chief communications officer of KC Pet Project. The campus features a retail store and a Roasterie coffee shop. An outdoor cat patio allows felines to wander outside and multiple outdoor yards give dogs a chance to play.

“It was more than I thought it would be,” said John Boren, a foster parent for kittens.

He visited the new facility for the first time on Dec. 31.

“I’m thrilled with it. I couldn’t be happier.”

Fugate said the organization is hoping to expand its services and eventually offer public veterinary services.

“There’s just so many things we’d never had the space to be able to do, and now that we have the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care, we can start to look at some of the programs.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 7:53 PM.