The future for the shuttered Bishop Ford dealership building has been determined.  Over the next one to three years, the structure will become an expanded Bishop Veterinary Hospital, which is currently located on U.S. Hwy. 395 just north of the Tri-County Fairgrounds.

The Bishop Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit for the project at its April meeting. The CUP was required because the current zoning, Highway Commercial Services, does not specify vet clinics. However, a CUP can be granted if the proposed use “is not obnoxious to surrounding uses.” The property is at the north edge of Bishop’s city limits with open land on three sides

The existing 12,156 square foot building will be revamped to include exam rooms, an equine
treatment center with surgical facilities, office-related areas, a dog exercise yard and small
animal kennels.

Phase two of the project, anticipated one to two years after Phase 1, will concentrate on the
land behind the structure with six horse paddocks, two pastures, a round pen, a barn and a
crematorium facility.

The conditions put on the project include references to the possibility of disturbing migratory or
nesting birds in trees slated for removal, protocol if archaeological resources are unearthed and
review by the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District protocols.

For someone with both small animals and horses, the crematorium facility was a little cringe-
worthy. On a personal note, I once explained to a child’s question of where deceased horses are taken: an angel comes down, wraps them in a blanket and takes them to heaven. The
crematorium will be located at the far northeast corner of the facility.