“A Better Plan B For The Columbia Heights’ Dog Park”

11th and Park Road, NW

The following letter was also sent to Mayor Bowser.

“We are writing you on behalf of a concerned group of residents in North Columbia Heights regarding the WMATA owned property at 11th and Park Road. It is our understanding that the District of Columbia has offered $2.1 million for the parcel to preserve it as a dog park but that WMATA must by law take the highest bid. If the city’s offer is not the highest bidder then a private owner will close the park and develop the property. In that case, we have heard that there is a push to turn the Triangle Park at Sherman Avenue and Park Road into a dog park. We would like to explain why that would be a bad idea and suggest a better alternative.

The Triangle Park as currently configured is one of the last multi-use green spaces left near an 11th and Park neighborhood that will see an additional 60+ condominiums added in the next several years within three blocks. Several hundred apartments and condominiums will be added within an eighth of a mile on Georgia Avenue in the same time frame. Residents regularly utilize the Triangle Park green space for church events, yoga, children’s play space, neighborhood parties and leashed dog walking. It is a truly multi-use space for the entire community that is used on a daily basis by the entire community.

If this park is enclosed and becomes a dog park, all other alternative uses will effectively come to an end.

The available space is officially over 8,500 square feet but about two thirds of that space houses trees that would either need to be removed to the detriment of the neighborhood or worked around leaving pet owners with a park fit only for fewer, smaller dogs and only disconnected corners for everyone else. In addition, the park lacks water, is surrounded on three sides by busy traffic and tree health will suffer due to pet waste runoff.

So, what should we do? We say add, don’t subtract, to our greenspace and create a full sized dog park at the Raymond Recreation Center:

This site is about four blocks from the current dog park, is an 8,300 square foot unused and open green space and can be prepared at a fraction of the cost of the 11th and Park Road dog park with some bulkhead, regrading and fencing. The site is District owned, has water and power nearby and is adjacent to a DPR facility on a quiet street. It faces few homes and has parking for residents who require a vehicle to transport their dogs. The site provides an alternative to the dog walkers who use the front and side lots at the Recreation Center to walk their pets. It is also has room for a very long dog run for bigger dogs and while it is in Ward 4 serves much the same area of Ward 1 that the 11th and Park site served.

In searching for a “plan B” to the 11th and Park dog park, the Mayor’s Office has an opportunity to ensure that the ultimate location preserves our multi-use green space, efficiently spends city resources and provides a better, more accessible amenity to the city. This presents a tremendous leadership opportunity for DC. We look forward to engaging with you on its implementation.

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizens for Preserving Greenspace

(Just kidding…we are just a bunch of long term residents who believe in good planning and best use!)”