The City of Sacramento is seeking input on eight potential dog park sites in the Curtis Park area after about a year of debate over a neighborhood park.
Residents have until July 31 to email their thoughts on concepts for locations including Sierra 2 Park, which has been informally used for off-leash dog training and socializing for more than 20 years.
But conflict started last year, said Terri Shettle, Executive Director of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association and the Sierra 2 Community Center. Sports groups and the center, which is adjacent to the 5.6-acre neighborhood park, resumed activities after COVID-19 restrictions lifted. Shettle said issues arose because more people had begun bringing their dogs during the height of the pandemic and gotten accustomed to letting their dogs run off leash at all hours of the day.
Some residents have raised concerns over noise disturbances, dog waste, parking and a loss of open space for youth sports and families, Shettle said. In response, the city put up temporary fencing in December and moved it in April.
“If there was a way to kind of configure it so that everybody could coexist, that would be great,” Shettle said. “But it's a small park, and that is why they typically do not put a dog park in a neighborhood park.”
A temporary dog park at the Sierra 2 Center in Sacramento, Calif. on Thursday, July 20, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadioThe city has 14 official dog parks, three of which are located south of Broadway. The closest dog park to Sierra 2 is about four miles away at Partner Park in South Land Park.
Proposed new locations include adding both a small and large dog area to Ray Eames Park off Crocker Drive and a small dog area to Belle Cooledge Park off South Land Park Drive. Other potential sites in Land Park would not be tied to an existing park. Meanwhile, the concept plan for a permanent dog park at Sierra 2 shows eliminating a soccer field to build a small and large dog area.
Parks Commissioner Joe Flores estimated 300 people shared their thoughts on the potential sites at an open house on Wednesday. Attendees voted on both their top choice and a site they opposed. Flores said the city could explore funding more than one of the potential dog parks.
“It's not an either or choice today,” Flores said. “It's just we're collecting sentiments and seeing where these other parks can be better utilized.”
A dog named Penny looks to play fetch with her owner at the Sierra 2 Center temporary dog park Thursday, July 20, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadioCurtis Park resident Christian Muller said the city has done a good job at providing options, but added he thinks the majority of the neighborhood would rather see the informal Sierra 2 dog park return to how it was. Instead of getting the city involved, Muller said he wished the community had talked it out to find common ground over concerns.
Muller has lived in Curtis Park for 13 years and began walking his dog to Sierra 2 during the pandemic. The sense of community at the informal dog park helped his mental health, Muller said. He went from spending 15 minutes to two hours per visit, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.
“I'm not sure where I would be without it,” Muller said. “Post divorce, job loss, life change, it's just a place that I go out. And now I have a whole group of 80-year-old people twice my age that are just my friends.”
Maps of all eight potential dog park sites are available on the city website. Feedback can be emailed to [email protected] until the end of the month.
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