by Laura Garber
Bark for a Park organizers celebrated in council chambers, some with dogs in tow, after a 3-2 vote Tuesday, May 12 directed city staff to evaluate two potential locations for an off-leash dog park: the east corner of Valley Park and a portion of the Greenbelt between Pier Avenue and 11th Street.
Councilmembers Dean Francois, Rob Saemann and Michael Keegan voted to greenlight feasibility studies for both locations. Mayor Michael Detoy and Councilmember Ray Jackson voted no over concerns about the Valley Park location.
The community-led organization has worked for more than a year promoting, researching and fundraising an off-leash dog park in Hermosa Beach. They gathered over 1,400 signatures, with roughly 60% of those in favor of the Valley Park location.
Other proposed locations included Bi-Centennial Park, Noble Park and a 10,000 square foot section of the beach with limited hours.
The group has raised $80,000 and secured a $250,000 matching grant pending a location decision, and has agreed to fund design, construction and ongoing maintenance.
“We realize the budget is tight for the city, and we want this so badly that we are offering to fund the design phase, the construction phase, and make sure that maintenance has no incremental additional cost to the city,” said Carla Buck, a lead organizer of Bark for a Park. “We’ve tried to come with solutions, not just complaints.”
The organization’s proposal included monies from public contributions, raffles, redirected revenue from dog licenses and corporate sponsorships to help fund year one and ongoing maintenance of the park.
Bark For a Park estimates initial year one funding at between $160,000-220,000 and ongoing maintenance between $25,000 to $35,000 annually.
But the two locations present varying challenges.
A designer from Gaudet Design Group who visited both sites in January expressed concerns about Valley Park, citing steep slopes and substantial ADA upgrades that would be required throughout the park.
The designer was more optimistic about the Greenbelt location, expressing “confidence that this area would be feasible for a dog park or dog run and identified it as the preferred location among the two sites considered,” the City’s staff report read.
However, A 1989 ordinance mandates dogs be on leash in the Greenbelt. A public vote would be required to amend the ordinance and placed on this November’s ballot.
Some residents in attendance had concerns about the environmental and financial obligations.
Resident Kristin Marino questioned if a dog park on the Greenbelt would affect wildlife.
“Studies have shown that dog waste is harmful to the nutritional content of the soil for native plants, and that a consistent dog presence is detrimental to the migratory, nesting and behavioral patterns of native wildlife,” Marino said.
According to a City report, Manhattan Beach’s dog park costs approximately $84,000 annually to maintain. Bark for a Park’s proposed maintenance budget projects $35,000 per year.
“This leaves Hermosa Beach with a $50,000 a year cost burden,” said Marino, who pointed out the organization’s budget gap. “I don’t know if we can afford to maintain a dog park.”
Roy Robinson, a Valley Drive resident who worked as a construction foreman at the Getty Center, warned the true cost could far exceed the group’s projections.
“I see this project being well in the $2 million to $3 million area,” Robinson said, citing the grading required, the ADA ramp, hedge removal and sidewalk reconstruction along Valley Drive.
Jackson, who voted no, proposed an alternative location, the underutilized area behind the restroom facility at South Park, arguing it offered ADA accessible bathrooms, water access, shade and a retaining wall on one side without the complications that came with Valley Park and the Greenbelt.
“The last thing I want is a neighbor versus neighbor fight or a ballot initiative,” Jackson said. “I think the South Park option is a win-win for everybody.”
The motion did not receive a second.
Many residents and Councilmembers congratulated the organization’s efforts in conducting a grass-roots community push for a dog park.
“What started as just eight individuals has grown into this vibrant volunteer organization,” resident Wendy F. said. ER
