The city shared potential plans for a dog park addition to Grey Park at a community meeting Wednesday, about a year and a half after the Parks and Recreation Board voted on the project in 2023.
A new dog park has long been in high demand in Evanston. While community members have access to the Evanston Dog Beach, Pooch Park is the only other designated off-leash dog space in the city, and it is jointly operated by the City of Evanston and Skokie Park District.
At the meeting, Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) emphasized that, in contrast to Pooch Park, the city would endeavor to maintain Grey Park’s status as a “neighborhood” park.
“The idea seems to be very warmly received in this neighborhood,” Nieuwsma said.
With about 20 community members in attendance, city staff and representatives from landscape architecture firm Upland Design presented two visions for the park, which sits between the 4th and 9th wards. While each plan would fence-off a portion of the existing park, they differed in scope.
The first concept — aptly called “Unleashed Fields” — focused on incorporating wider fields for dogs to run in. The second — coined “Wag & Dash Park” — included several agility pieces.
According to Upland Design Principal Liz Dafoe, either option would be enclosed in a 6-foot ornamental fence, potentially with additional netting to prevent small dogs from fitting through. Dafoe also said there may be a drinking fountain, depending on the budget.
Residents were largely in favor of the park, but their enthusiasm goes beyond the enjoyment it would provide their pets. Many residents also expressed concern over “nefarious” activity they said currently occurs in the park, and said they hoped that the new fenced-off areas would lessen such activity.
“Based on feedback I have received from residents up and down that street, we are very eager to see this happen, to bring some positive energy to that corner and shed some positive light, which will hopefully move some negative stuff away from that area,” Nieuwsma said.
Still, some residents said the dog park may take up space that children currently use for play, while others were hesitant to encroach on the park because it is used by residents of Albany Care, a residential mental health care facility that borders the park.
However, Nieuwsma said that Albany Care management appeared to be “supportive” of the project.
“We are not devoting the entire park to four-legged mammals, we want to maintain use of the park for Evanston residents, which includes the people who live at Albany Care,” Nieuwsma said.
Project Manager Stefanie Levine said the proposal currently has a roughly $250,000 budget, and that there may be additional methods to secure funding to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Evanston residents will not have to pay to enter the park; instead, similar to accessing the Dog Beach, residents will have to acquire a pass and ensure that their pets are up to date with the vaccinations, tests and licenses mandated by Cook County, according to Levine and Nieuwsma.
Wednesday’s meeting was one of two public engagement efforts the city will host to gain community input on plans, with the next meeting on May 7. The city anticipates beginning construction this fall.
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