New wildlife care center coming to Northeast Portland

What they're saying: "The region needs a larger, more technologically advanced center to provide our wildlife patients with modern care and treatment," executive director Stuart Wells said in a written statement.

State of play: The 12.5-acre site has been home to a landfill, a rock quarry and was a dumping ground for debris during the construction of Interstate 205.

• The new care center just across from McDaniel High School will allow the alliance to treat some 6,000 animal patients a year, up from the roughly 4,000 it now sees.
• It will also roughly double the square footage the alliance has to treat animals and will offer some upgraded facilities — like an on-site surgical suite — that the current center lacks.

The intrigue: It's a brownfield site, meaning there is potential contamination there that will need to be cleaned before it can begin its next life as a place for wildlife care.

• Debbie Elliott, president of the alliance's board of directors, said the work aligns with the organization's history of pushing for remediation of polluted landscapes.

• "Now, we have the opportunity to work as neighbors alongside this vibrant and caring community," she said in a written statement.

By the numbers: The organization paid roughly $5 million for the site, with plans to spend another $20 million on rehabbing the land and construction of the new center.

What's next: The alliance wants to break ground next year — with projects that have already received funding, like a solar array and habitat restoration, first on the list.

• They hope to have the new care center up and running within five years.