Local Veterinarians Fighting to Keep PetSmart Out of Town

Local veterinarians are fighting in the abandoned Circuit City building on Huntington, arguing that the retailer they compare to Wal-Mart would be bad for business.

Two vets have filed appeals to the conditional use permit (CUP) granted to PetSmart in March in an effort to block the retailer from opening up a new location at 745 West Huntington Drive near the 210 freeway onramp.

Veterinarian Gary R. White from the wrote to the planning commission in March and asked that PetSmart's permit application be denied. His appeal said local vets are already struggling to stay afloat and competition from a chain would further complicate things for them.

"The current economic environment is putting a great strain upon veterinarians well established in the community," White wrote. "Adding a large corporate practice will do nothing to increase patient care or public service beyond what we already have. It will merely dilute the number of patients per veterinarian further."

PetSmart is proposing to open an animal boarding facility and veterinary services clinic inside the store on Huntington, according to an agenda report prepared by Craig Jimenez, the city's principal planner. The clinic would be operated by Banfield Pet Hospital, which operates more than 770 veterinary hospitals nationwide.

Mike Mullin, a spokesman for PetSmart, said in an interview Monday that the company, which operates more than 1,180 stores, intends to coexist with other local animal hospitals.

"PetSmart is committed to serving pet owners and their pets with quality products, services and solutions they need to live happier and healthier lives togther," Mullin said. "As part of that commitment, we are excited about the opportunity to join the Monrovia community. We look forward to serving the area and working with animal welfare organizations to help promote adoptions and to save lives and to allow the pets to have new homes."

White asserts that the jobs of more than 50 local veterinary employees would be threatened by the PetSmart by "displacing higher income positions with minimum wage positions." White predicted that PetSmart's arrival would put some local animal hospitals out of business.

"Allowing PetSmart/Banfield into Monrovia will certainly be the end of some excellent businesses with long standing in the community," he wrote.

Nicole Gueniat, veterinarian at the Monrovia Animal Medical Center, also sent a letter of appeal to the planning commisson last month in an attempt to stop PetSmart from opening. She said smaller local hospitals cannot compare to PetSmart's "Wal-Mart"-style economies of scale.

"The ability to compete with a large conglomerate such as PetSmart would greatly impact small animal hospitals within the city of Monrovia," Gueniat wrote. "PetSmart is in comparison to Wal-Mart. Because our practices are small sole proprietorships we cannot purchase inventory such as pharmaceutical, pet supplies or offer boarding services at the PetSmart reduced rates."

Jimenez recommends rejecting the veterinarians' appeals in his agenda report, noting that the planning commission does not take economic concerns into account when considering whether to grant a CUP.

"While the success of all local businesses is a major concern to the city, the approval of a CUP is based strictly on land use and environmental impacts, not fiscal considerations," Jimenez wrote.

The City Council will consider the appeals during a public hearing at the council's regular meeting Tuesday.