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After years of planning and a few delays, county officials say they expect to begin construction on a new state-of-the-art animal shelter in Derwood this fall.

Montgomery officials met with approximately 25 residents last week to share updated plans for the shelter, which will be located at the northwest corner of Muncaster Mill and Airpark roads.

The new building, which will face Muncaster Mill Road, will be 46,878 square feet in size and replace the 15,737-square-foot-facility on Rothgeb Drive in Rockville. Montgomery County Humane Society officials have said the shelter, which opened in 1976, is overcrowded and in need of renovations.

"We know the community has been anxious for this building for years," said David Dise, director of the county's Department of General Services, adding the county wanted to make sure the new shelter was not only larger and more functional, but something residents could be proud of. "We want this to be a signature building not only for the community, but the county at large."

He said he hopes the shelter will be able to open its doors in 2012.

Residents initially had several concerns about the park and the shelter. Before the park was proposed, residents were upset that the shelter would be going on a piece of land that had been promised to them as a park and also feared the facility would generate noise.

After plans were presented that combined the shelter and the park, residents responded more positively, but still worried about noise and additional traffic, or that home runs would hit cars traveling along Muncaster Mill Road.

The one-and-a-half-story building, which is being designed by Frederick-based Proffitt & Associates Architects, will have public adoption areas, private animal holding and treatment areas, a classroom, conference room, office space and more, Dise said.

Environmental design features include use of a vegetated roof over the adoption areas and water efficient plumbing fixtures. The county is hoping the building will gain silver status in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, he said.

Although the county humane society will continue to be in charge of pet adoptions and other functions, the facility will be owned and operated primarily by the Montgomery County Police Department's Animal Services Division, said Capt. Michael Wahl, director of Animal Services.

The building will house Animal Services operations, such as isolation, quarantine and the holding of feral, ill or seized animals and serve as a community education resource for animal care issues, he said.

Deceased pets will be incinerated off-site, Wahl said.

All animal care and housing will be located on the first level of the building, while the second floor will house office space, a conference room, a break room and mechanical functions, said Kori Purdum, an architect with Proffitt & Associates.

Two separate public entries will be located along the south façade, one for adoption visitors and one for those surrendering pets, she said. A third, less prominent entry will be featured at the center of the south façade to be used for functions held after hours.

The site will also include two outbuildings for food storage and temporary housing for livestock, as well as mulched walking trails and outdoor exercise runs, Purdum said.

Cris Bombaugh, president and chief executive of the Montgomery County Humane Society, told residents her organization is "ready for a new building." The project has been discussed and included in county plans for the last seven years.

"The animals deserve this building," she said.

Jane Lawton, a Gaithersburg resident, said she thinks the county did a good job of designing the building.

"It seems to be a very good design," she said. "It's definitely better than some of the earlier designs I saw and far superior to what they're using now. So this is a big relief [to see] and if they really get it built it will be wonderful."

Dise said the design for the 7-acre site is slated to be finalized this week. Laytonia Recreational Park, which will include baseball diamonds and more, will also be located on the 51-acre site and is expected to open in 2013.

As plans stand now, visitors to the animal shelter will exit and enter via Muncaster Road, but will only be able to make a right turn out, Dise said. He added the county hopes to build a road that would loop through the park site so residents can exit via Airpark Road.

Construction on the shelter is estimated to cost $17.3 million and is included in the county executive's recommended capital improvements for fiscal 2011 to 2016, Dise said. The County Council is expected to adopt the budget this spring.