Montclair Township Animal Shelter, located at 77 North Willow Street, plays a vital role in the community. The shelter cares for neglected pets and finds them forever homes, as well as provides animal control and welfare services. During the weekend of December 14th, rumors on Facebook about the shelter potentially closing have raised concerns amongst Montclair residents. The Montclair Girl has gathered all the facts surrounding the situation. Read on for details about whether the Montclair Township Animal Shelter has plans to close and updates regarding what happened at the Montclair Township Council Meeting on December 17th.
Is the Montclair Township Animal Shelter Closing?
Despite rumors about the Montclair Township Animal Shelter closing have circulated online, according to a statement released by Montclair’s Township Manager Michael Lapolla on December 13th, “There is no plan to close the shelter.”
Read More: A List of Local Vets in the Montclair Area
In addition, Lapolla stated that no plans have been formed to sell the building where the shelter operates. “There have been no meetings, discussions, or any other type of communication with any developers regarding the property.”
The Montclair Girl team has reached out to Montclair Township Animal Shelter and this piece will be updated with any further comments.
How Did the Rumors Start?
This past weekend, discourse regarding the Montclair Township Animal Shelter potentially closing spread throughout the Facebook groups, Montclair Dog and Montclair Politics, causing concerns from residents who support the shelter. The central theme circulating around these posts was that Township Manager Michael Lapolla was planning to close the shelter and sell the building to developers.
As a result of such chatter, Montclair resident Carolyn Everson launched a petition on December 12th to “Protect the Montclair Township Animal Shelter and the Animals Within It.” The petition states, “Closing our beloved shelter would be a blow not only to the homeless animals within its walls but also to thousands of proud pet parents and donors who believe in its mission.”
“Isn’t just an issue,” Carolyn states in the petition, “it’s a deeply personal fight for doing what’s right.” As of this writing, the petition has garnered over 1300 signatures.
Michael Lapolla “[encourages] residents to directly contact their Councilperson or the Mayor” if there are “rumors or other claims on social media about the township,” as per the released statement.
About Montclair Township Animal Shelter
The Montclair Township Animal Shelter, which operates separately from Montclair Humane, an organization that advocates for animal rights, climate change, social justice, and more, is municipally run by the Township of Montclair. The MTAS provides Montclair, Verona, and Nutley with animal care and control services.
According to the shelter’s website, its missions are to care for and protect unwanted animals, promote animal welfare, place adoptable animals in permanent homes, and provide services like behavior modification, training, socialization, and environmental enrichment to increase the chances of the animal getting adopted.
To view animals ready for adoption, visit Petfinder.com or check out the shelter’s official Facebook page.
Updates as of 12/23
Concerns from residents regarding Montclair Township’s decision to no longer allow MTAS to take in animals from other shelters arose at the Council Meeting on December 17th. Township Manager Michael Lapolla claimed that the reason behind this ordinance was because of budgetary reasons. As per Montclair Local, Michael Lapolla further claimed that employees of the shelter do not want to take in dogs from Newark and East Orange because “they’re all pit bulls and nobody adopts pit bulls.”
Karen Sacks, President of Friends of Montclair Township Animal Shelter told Montclair Local that she disagrees with Michael Lapolla’s statements. “The shelter has always transferred animals from high kill shelters when there are empty kennels,” she said. “It is a shelter best practice that saves lives and provides animals to residents for adoption.”
Brian R. Hackett, who serves as the director of government and community relations for the Associated Humane Societies, the organization that operates the animal shelter in Newark, also weighed in on the issue. “When towns, counties, and nonprofits run animal shelter facilities around our state, it is commonly recognized and expected ‘best practices’ in the industry that shelters assist other shelters if and when they have the capacity to do so,” Brian R. Hackett shared with Montclair Local. “Numerous examples abound of shelters helping others during times of natural disasters, hoarding and cruelty situations, or emergencies, such as when Montclair’s shelter itself suffered a tragic fire back in 2016.”
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Qahwah House: A Yemeni-Style Coffee Spot Opening in Montclair in 2025
2025 is just weeks away and coming with it is an abundance of new businesses to the Montclair area, including a Yemeni coffee shop, Qahwah House. Coffee lovers can be excited to know that this new spot, which will be located on the first floor of 493 Bloomfield Avenue, will serve all kinds of Middle Eastern-style brews, teas, and pastries. Read on for what we know about Qahwah House coming to Montclair, New Jersey in 2025.
The Details
Qahwah House, a Yemeni-style coffee spot with locations around the country, has put up signage at 493 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. The Montclair location will be the franchise's second location in New Jersey, with the Clifton location being its first. While an exact opening date is unknown as of this writing, locals can expect the shop to open sometime in the new year. The Montclair Girl team has reached out to the business and this piece will be updated with any further information.
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About Qahwah House
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This Middle Eastern coffee shop was founded in 2017 by Ibrahim Alhasbani, whose family has been in the coffee farming business for eight generations. His goal in opening this business was to "provide the highest quality coffee and to bridge communities by sharing [his] own Yemeni culture," according to Qahwah House's website.
The menu of this new spot will consist of everyone's favorite trio: coffee, tea, and pastries. Montclarians can look forward to signature creations like Sana'ani Coffee, a medium roast coffee made with cardamom, a Middle Eastern spice, and Adeni Chai, a Yemeni black tea mixed with cardamom, nutmeg, and milk. For those who like their coffee brewed at home, Qahwah House will also provide retail coffee bags for purchase. To pair with a caffeinated drink, patrons will also find authentic baked goods on the menu, like the Khaliat Alnahl, a butter and cheese-filled roll topped with drizzled honey.
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Although the menu is rooted in Yemeni cuisine, it will include beverages and desserts from other cultures around the world, such as the Affogato, which is an Italian dessert made with gelato, milk, and hot espresso, as well as other fun treats like a pistachio-flavored cake, chocolate raspberry cake, and refreshers in the flavors lemonade, strawberry, mango, and dragonfruit.
See More: New Businesses Opening in Hoboken + Jersey City in 2025
To stay up to date on the latest Montclair + Northern New Jersey news, follow @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok, sign up for our newsletter that shares the top stories in your inbox here, and check out our events calendar.
