Baltimore Business Journal  |  Melody Simmons

A veterinary clinic that offers pets oncology, neurology, opthamology and rehabilitation treatment has expanded into new space in Annapolis.

The Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center will soon move into a newly constructed, 28,000-square-foot clinic at 808 Bestgate Road near the Westfield Annapolis mall.

The 24-hour center had been operating in 11,000 square feet next door since 1999. Early next year, St. John Properties, owner of the development, will begin construction of a four-story, 100,000-square-foot Class A office building at the site of the former clinic.

Officials of the newly expanded vet center will employ 10 more veterinarians and about 30 additional staff for a total workforce of about 165. Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center also has locations in Columbia and Towson.

St. John Properties partnered with Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center to build the new center. Richard Williamson, St. John senior vice president of leasing and marketing, represented the company.

“After adding several specialty areas to our practice group in Annapolis, as well as hiring additional staff members to accommodate patient demand in the Anne Arundel County region, it became necessary to dramatically expand our existing operation,” said Krista Evans, a founder and part-owner of the center. “We have been involved with five new construction or expansion projects since our founding in 1992.”

The new vet clinic officially opens Dec. 4.

It will feature several new high-tech services including a new CT scan and MRI area, a pet-size hyperbaric oxygen chamber, an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy and an operating room suite.