Dog park decision: Sacramento city council unanimously passes hotly contested plan to move Curtis Park dog park
SACRAMENTO -- In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, Sacramento's City Council approved a hotly contested plan looking to fund a new dog park in William Land Park.
The decision comes after leaders decided to close the temporary Sierra 2 dog park in Curtis Park in favor of finding a better, permanent location.
The city says it allowed the Sierra 2 park to open for a time as a pop-up for dog training. However, many Curtis Park neighbors in the past year have come to love it, stopping by with their dogs daily to let them play while they meet their neighbors.
The city says it received more than 450 complaints in an eleven-month evaluation of the park, mostly centered around dogs running off-leash, feces left behind and subsequent park maintenance problems. The city decided the Sierra 2 park was not suitable to stay open and closed it.
"We ask that the council not take any action on funding a dog park in Land Park until further options can be explored for Curtis Park," said a neighbor in public comment at Tuesday's council meeting who has lived in Curtis Park for nearly four decades.
It's a dog park dilemma that neighbors say has divided their close-knit community.
"It has created so much animosity and division, I'm not sure we will ever be the same neighborhood again," said Curtis Park neighbor of 25 years, Melissa McKenzie in public comment.
The city says the area being used is too small to meet its dog park standards.
"The design of Sierra 2 park does not meet the requirements of an off-leash dog park, including its size and proximity to other amenities at the park," said Jackie Beecham, director of the city's Department of Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment (YPCE).
Several neighbors say they are sad to see it go, not just for their dog's sake, but their own.
"Curtis Park needs its own dog park," said one neighbor in public comment.
"I strongly oppose this item, and I want my dog park back," said another at the podium.
However, some Curtis Park neighbors are glad to see it go.
"Thank you for putting children and safety first," said neighbor Annie Linton to the council in public comment.
She and other neighbors argue that the off-leash use is too close to homes, endangers children at play and disrupts other park activities.
"Opposition to a dog park in Land Park is short-sighted, and the insistence to have one at Sierra 2 is unreasonable and amuses only those who believe they are entitled to it," said one Curtis Park neighbor of 20 years in public comment who supports the move to Land Park.
So could the city find a better spot for a Curtis Park dog park? Sacramento's mayor Darrel Steinberg confirmed that is still on the table.
"This is not the end of the discussion, it's the beginning of the discussion," said Steinberg after the final of 19 public comments at Tuesday night's meeting.
The unanimous vote allows the YPCE to start researching where an unfenced, off-leash dog park could be constructed at Land Park, now with $200,000 in funding.
"We recognize the community's desire for additional dog parks. We also recognize the importance of park spaces that create a sense of community," said Beecham.