A 3,900-square-foot veterinary hospital expansion is currently in the works for a local veterinary hospital in Newman.
True Blue Veterinary Hospital - located at 2025 N. St. - is planning for its expansion project site on a property located between the current hospital site and a local Taco Bell restaurant.
Maria Rodriguez, a partial owner of True Blue Veterinary, mentioned the city of Newman’s recent growth and the growing need for pets that she has noticed since the COVID-19 pandemic as some of the reasons for the expansion.
“We need to expand to provide more services and also to provide a new building that will be something newer for our staff and also our clients,” Rodriguez said. “That’s kind of why we are seeing the need of expanding and renewing what we already have.”
The expansion will focus on adding several advancements such as an animal exercise area, 25 parking spaces, a trash enclosure, a bigger lobby area, two more exam rooms and a double surgery room which will allow two tables to be added to the room, expanding of how it currently operates with one table.
Rodriguez mentioned that discussions for expansion in Newman began two years ago. According to the January planning commission meeting agenda, True Blue Veterinary submitted its Site Plan Review application in July 2024.
With the ongoing expansion, Rodriguez said True Blue Veterinary hopes to hire more veterinarians and offer services like endoscopy. She envisions that the expansion can also bring in a more specialized staff and attract more people, adding that some of their clients come from the Bay Area.
“I think with a newer building, it will give us the option of attracting new people to come into this area,” Rodriguez said. “There is a lot of people that come from the Bay Area that are our clients. I’m hoping that also we bring Bay Area specialists that can come once a month.”
The hospital also operates in Patterson under the name of Apricot Veterinary Clinic since True Blue Veterinary is the sister clinic of Apricot Veterinary. Apricot's location operates in a building near other businesses in Patterson.
A site for True Blue Veterinary is in the works in Patterson. Rodriguez said that the idea of building a Patterson site was brought up three years ago. Construction for the location was supposed to be done last year but has faced several delays.
Rodriguez believes that the operations for the Newman expansion won’t begin before next year due to the Patterson situation being a priority with it set to be done later this year.
“I don’t think we’ll break ground before next year just because we’re supposed to be done with Patterson in November,” Rodriguez said. “Depends on the city and the bank … because right now we have to start paying Patterson when it’s finalized and then we can look into a new loan to get things started over here (Newman).”
Rodriguez hopes that the Patterson location can provide a blueprint for what to consider during the building process for the Newman location.
“The benefit of the Newman building that is going to have over Patterson is that I’m going to see how Patterson is going to look and how it’s going to work and try to make changes,” Rodriguez said.
Navtej Hundal is a freelance journalist in Stanislaus County.
