A final (for now) update on the rezoning of Belladonna and where we are going from here: We had our APC meeting to rezone the property to AW and successfully passed! This means that the animals at Belladonna can safely remain in their homes and the land is further protected from future developments. However, this was not without a significant amount of financial and emotional strain on us all. In order to continue to be open to the public, we would need to go through a separate rezoning for a "special exemption" This would be even more time, money, and emotional drain. To tell the truth, we are reaching the point of burnout and we still have to care for our residents every day. We have made the difficult decision not to file for the special exemption status at this time. However, this may be something we revisit in the future. Because of this decision we have had to make some changes to ensure we are in compliance with APC regulations. The biggest change is that we will unfortunately no longer be holding events or able to have the public out to Belladonna. We will also be changing our name from "Belladonna rescue & sanctuary" to "Belladonna Animal Sanctuary" on public forums to more accurately represent what we do. We will continue to provide ongoing care and sanctuary for the current residents as we always have. We will continue to provide online supports, information, and resources for the community and help (virtually) people trying to navigate getting help for an animal in need. We will retain our 501(c)(3) non-profit status and will continue to take donations to help offset the cost of providing sanctuary to the animals. We will occasionally run online fundraising campaigns and will continue to update social media regularly with pictures/videos/stories of our residents. We will also continue to brainstorm ways to continue to advocate for animals and support the community within these constraints. We thank you all for your ongoing love, support, and understanding. Because of you, the animals at Belladonna can stay safely in their homes. Providing sanctuary to these animals has always been at the core of who we are and what we do. Even though some things have to change, that will always remain.