A huge, state-of-the-art animal hospital and luxury pet boarding facility is coming to the west side of U.S. 1 next to the old Press Journal building.
The 3.28-acre site – which occupies nearly an entire city block, extending from U.S. 1 to 9th Avenue between 18th Place and 19th Street – has been cleared and construction is slated for completion by the end of the year, according to Michael Geraghty, a veterinarian who is the owner and developer of the $7 million project.
The site plan was approved by the city in September and Geraghty said foundation work will begin next month for a 16,787-square-foot, 2-story “one-stop, full service” veterinary medical center at 1833 U.S. 1.
The facility will provide regular veterinary services, wellness planning, teeth cleaning, vaccinations, spay-neuter, imaging, laser therapy, urgent care, luxury boarding, grooming, a surgery center and 24/7 emergency service, according to Geraghty.
The building will be positioned at an angle in the center of the property, facing southeast, with parking along the north, south and east sides, and access from both side streets. A buffer of trees and other plants will surround the property, according to plans.
The site was last occupied by the now demolished Royal Palm TV building and a transmission service business. Adjacent across 18th Place to the south is the languishing, long-vacant former Press Journal building and parking lot, which Geraghty tried to purchase to convert into a veterinary facility. However, he says, the asking price was more than he wanted to pay, considering the additional expense of major renovations that would have been required. So, he decided to build from the ground up instead.
The site property was owned for 20 years by Scripps Media Inc., a prior owner of the Press Journal. Scripps sold the property to an investor in 2015 for $1.5 million. Last October, the investor sold the property to Tran Phong Duc for $2.6 million. That same month, Tran Phong Duc transferred the land to Geraghty’s Veterinary Medical Center of Indian River County Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
Geraghty, who has practiced veterinary medicine for 24 years, owns a large practice in Port St. Lucie that he will continue to operate. He opened the facility eight years ago with a staff of 10, which has since grown to employ 70 people, including four general practice doctors and five emergency room doctors.
In staffing his Vero Beach facility, Geraghty plans to “start slowly and increase as needed,” employing two or three full-time vets to start along with a dozen other employees.
Geraghty hopes to open his doors in Vero by Christmas. “We always have an open house at the holidays,” he says. “Dogs allowed.”
