Over the past year, the City’s Department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment (YPCE) has worked to explore solutions and potential renovations that support community use at Sierra 2 Park and parks in surrounding neighborhoods.
Staff are now set to request approval from Sacramento City Council to establish a capital improvement project to explore the option of a new permanent dog park at William Land Park.
“YPCE has worked with stakeholders and community members to find solutions and positive outcomes for all users and agree there is a need for additional dedicated dog park areas within the community,” YPCE Director Jackie Beecham said.
In Dec. 2022, staff installed a temporary popup dog park at Sierra 2 Park to allow off-leash dog activity to safely continue. Over the 11-month trial period staff evaluated the use and impacts on all park users.
During the evaluation period, YPCE staff developed and shared several alternative location options near Sierra 2 Park and solicited feedback from residents in-person at an open house and online.
Eight concept plans near the Curtis Park neighborhood were presented and more than 500 community members provided feedback and input in-person and electronically.
Results showed the most support for exploring a dog park location at Sierra 2 Park, an option at William Land Park and expansion of the existing dog park at Belle Cooledge Park.
After evaluating the popup dog park at Sierra 2 Park over the trial period, staff determined that the available area is too small to meet City standards for a permanent dog park and the temporary park has become a significant maintenance burden during its implementation. The temporary park will be discontinued and removed.
Dog parks require approximately 1.5 acres and are typically located within community or regional parks. The temporary area size was 0.67 acres, and the sports field area is maintained by staff for permitted sports and recreational use.
Additional feedback from the open house included the recommendation for shared use at Sierra 2 Park, however historical shared use has presented safety and maintenance issues. Research of other cities has indicated the same; shared space for off-leash dog use and other recreational purposes like youth sports, community events and open play has been unsuccessful, according to Beecham.
“We’re moving forward with a request to establish and fund a new capital improvement project based on several criteria including community input, evaluation of temporary popup park, industry design standards, availability of space and research of other dog park programs,” Beecham said.
This process supports continued community engagement and will involve formal outreach and public meetings before the Parks and Community Enrichment Commission and City Council.
This project will allow staff to explore the option of a permanent dog park at William Land Park. Staff are also recommending a pilot dog park program, that includes an unfenced off-leash designated dog area in a space that is not currently programmed or heavily utilized. Use of this space will be evaluated at three and six months during the outreach period.
The location for the pilot program is being identified and staff will implement in the coming months. Additional locations will also be evaluated for permanent off-leash dog parks including the expansion of Partner Dog Park at Belle Cooledge Park.
For additional background and updates, please visit the Sierra 2 Park Use webpage.