With a regional hospital in our midst, Edmonds is already known as a heath care destination for humans. But the city is now poised to become a center for veterinary oncology care as well, as the Bridge Animal Referral Center (BARC) looks to Five Corners as its new home.
Described by owner Chelsea Tripp, DVM, as “the Fred Hutch and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for pets,” BARC is an outgrowth of the Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care Center (VCSC) currently located in two smaller facilities in Edmonds and Lynnwood.
The new facility would occupy 13,000 square feet in the building that housed the former Red Apple Grocery and later Mieko’s and Vision Quest athletic clubs at 8401 Main St. Vision Quest closed its doors in May 2014, and with the exception of Caffe Ladro the building has stood vacant ever since.
Tripp owns both VCSC and BARC, and operates them with her colleague Shawn Ferguson, DVM. “Our current clinics in Lynnwood and Edmonds operate under the VCSC name and primarily offer veterinary chemotherapy,” she said. “As BARC we look to better consolidate our operations in the new Five Corners facility and offer additional expanded services. We would like to be the cancer center for pets in the Seattle area.”
BARC would not offer primary care, but rather function as a secondary and tertiary care center, taking referrals from various neighborhood veterinary hospitals of critical care cases with advanced medical needs and/or requiring specialized treatment.
“We are growing extremely fast, and extending beyond our current Edmonds and Lynnwood locations,” Tripp said. “We are very excited to continue to be part of the Edmonds community, and plan to employ upward of 40 people. We want to eventually be open 24/7, and that’s what we’re hoping to have approved with the conditional use permit.”
According to Tripp, pending timely approval of this and subsequent building and other permits, BARC could take occupancy “as soon as this fall.” While preliminary plans include using 13,000 square feet of the building for the new veterinary cancer center, Caffe Ladro would continue to operate in its present space in the southwest corner.
According to Jennifer Machuga of the Edmonds Planning Department, the initial application materials submitted in December 2015 are “only for a conditional use permit to allow 24-hour operations,” and would pave the way for subsequent building and other permit applications. Public notices were sent to neighboring businesses and residences on Jan. 27, and several have responded with input.
This Thursday’s public hearing before the Hearing Examiner will consider whether to grant this conditional use permit. The hearing is scheduled at 3 p.m. in the Edmonds City Council Chambers, 250 5th Ave. N. See the agenda here.
The complete package of materials including a detailed staff report and written comments from neighbors is available here.
— By Larry Vogel
Dr. Tripp and her staff are amazing! They saved the life of our beloved Badger-cat, and we would be lucky to have her in our community
This will make Edmonds a destination for advanced pet health care, specifically for the treatment of cancer. Not only will this be a perfect addition to our city, it will also allow easy access to the citizens of our pet loving city to access advanced care. Anytime we have the opportunity to attract new businesses to the city, especially one that benefits the community with a unique service, we should do everything we can to welcome them. The icing on the cake is the tax revenue that will be generated and the jobs that it will create.
I’ve known Dr. Tripp for 25+ years. She’s highly regarded in her profession and brings a unique skill set for our pets that is otherwise limited in the Pacific Northwest. This clinic will be the “go to” for animals with cancer, in short, it will be the cat’s meow!
Let’s welcome Dr. Tripp and her team with open arms. You never know when your beloved pet will need the special services that the clinic will offer and when they do, you’ll be thankful that the clinic is just down the street.
This will be an excellent addition to the Five Corners neighborhood!
Looking forward to having this facility near by. Dr. Tripp was amazing with our dog when she was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. We now we got to spend more time with our Sweet Pea because of her dedication to helping animals.
Dr. Tripp is not only a top Oncology Veterinarian, she also is a member of the Edmonds community with such organizations as Rotary and other charitably endeavors. Having her practice here is a great thing!