Veterinary dentistry clinic seeks GEO-zone approval; applicant says care will be dentistry-only with transfer protocols

A zoning request to classify veterinary dentistry as a new or unlisted business use in Murray’s GEO office zone drew questions Thursday about emergency protocols and limits on overnight animal care.

Chad Wilkinson, who presented the staff analysis, told the council that the state updated the process in 2025 (Utah Code §10-20-507) allowing cities to adopt a pathway for uses not anticipated in current codes and that the applicant’s proposal is distinct from a full animal hospital because it does not include overnight stays or outdoor kenneling. He said staff thinks the dentistry-only model could fit in an office zone if the council and code include strict definitions and mitigations.

Mercedes Dalo, the applicant and a veterinary dentist, said the clinic would see dogs and cats by appointment only and would not board animals overnight. “There’s no scenario in which they would spend the night in our facility because we wouldn’t be set up to be able to do that,” Dalo said, adding the practice will include a board-certified anesthesiologist and formal transfer protocols with nearby specialty and emergency hospitals (she named Medva and Advanced Veterinary Care as partners).

Council members pressed for specifics about what would happen if an animal had complications late in the day. Dalo said the team expects to transfer animals that need overnight observation to specialty hospitals and that no overnight boarding would occur on site. Staff said forthcoming ordinance language will define permitted species, exclude outdoor kenneling and overnight stays, and limit the new or unlisted process to genuinely novel uses that do not duplicate existing categories.

Why it matters: If the council adopts the classification, property owners in office zones could see a new, dentistry-only veterinary clinic as an allowed use, which proponents said reduces impacts associated with typical veterinary hospitals (kennels, overnight care) while expanding service options. Opponents’ concerns centered on how transfers and emergency care would be handled, and whether code definitions would be sufficiently narrow.

What’s next: Staff said two ordinances will be drafted—one to add veterinary dentistry to the standard land use code and another to allow it in the GEO zone—and those will return for formal hearings and council action in coming weeks. No final legislative action was taken on the floor at this meeting.