Lake Zurich Animal Hospital's plan to move temporarily on hold

A plan to move a Lake Zurich animal hospital to a new location, which drew concerns from nearby residents this week, is on hold while the owners decide if they'd like to proceed.

Joanna Krol, an owner of Companion Animal Hospital at 900 Winnetka Terrace in Lake Zurich, said she was going to meet with her partners next week to decide whether to continue their plan to construct a new building at the northwest corner of Route 22 and West Main Street.

"We're going to keep pursuing relocating the practice," Krol said Friday, but left open the possibility they might decide to look elsewhere.

The plan, which involves rezoning 1.9 acres of residential area and building a state-of-the-art, full-service veterinary care facility, was unveiled to the public at the village board meeting Monday.

Paul Waspi, who lives nearby on the 100 block of Robertson Road, said he felt the animal hospital would make driving in the area more dangerous, especially at the nearby intersection of W. Main Street and Robertson Road. He said rezoning the land, which according to the village has been vacant since the 1960s, would change the character of the single-family home neighborhood.

The plan calls for the new location to have nine exam rooms, a lab, pharmacy, a treatment area with surgical and dental suites as well as places to board and groom animals. There would also be an outdoor exercise area enclosed within an eight-foot-high fence.

Krol said she heard residents' concerns and hope they will be able to work it out.

"We see this is a great area and have a lot of plans, bringing bigger services and more comprehensive medicine, that's our top goal," Krol said. "We'll know more next week."