A Dog Park in North Dallas Instead of a Library?

City councilman Lee Kleinman and and Jennifer Staubach gates are looking to turn an unused piece of green space at the corner of Forest Lane and Nuestra into a temporary dog park. But the City won’t pay for it, so they are seeking commercial or private funding.

That vacant lot also happens to be the future home of the new Preston Royal Library, which is now located on Royal Lane near the Dallas North Tollway. The city bought the Korean Young Nak Presbyterian Church, kind of an eyesore in the area, back in 2011 and demolished it. The new library will go there and cost about $6 million. There is no funding available for a couple years, until the 2017 city bond program, which means the library could actually NOT happen.

Question: what will they do with the current Preston/Royal location if is DOES happen?

Kleinman says that even if the library funds come forth in the bond package, construction won’t begin until 2020 or even later.

So! Why not have a nice dog park in the empty space?

Well, apparently dog parks, like Fido himself, are not cheap: you need irrigation, signage, lighting, parking, ADA ramps and compatibility, etc. to consider. And let us not forget the plastic doggie doo doo bags! Their best estimate: $230,000 at a minimum. And they are looking for sponsorships from local companies and individuals.

Gates and Kleinman both say this is something residents desire. Dog parks have been a huge hit elsewhere, like the Westminister Community Park. North Dallas is sorely lacking in public green space; of course, it may not need it as the homes have huge, one-third of an acre lots minimum. Gates says that’s how things were when the area was created, but residents today want more public green space:

“When our neighborhood was developed, it was developed around backyards and not open spaces,” Gates says. “There’s a movement now, and people want more open space. It adds to the community element and enhances the quality of life.”

However, with the proposed re-development of the Forestwood townhomes, this would be a nice little daily walk.

So the dog park could be temporary, a test in the water of how well one could fare should this space not become a future library. Which might be a good idea: I would hate to see neighborhood dogs “marking their territory” here and then keep on keepin’ on…