Burnet Woods Dog Park Project Overview and FAQ
- Jan 9, 2023
Cincinnati Parks is excited to bring a new park amenity to Burnet Woods: a community dog park serving the Clifton area. The dog park will provide a new recreation experience for area residents and their dogs, further contributing to the attractiveness and quality of life for park visitors and residents of Clifton, Corryville and CUF.
Cincinnati Parks identified the future community dog park site in the northeast section of Burnet Woods along Brookline Drive as the best location for the dog park. The location is centrally located and walkable to a large part of the community, while still being at least 225 ft from the closest housing, with dense wooded areas to block most sight lines. There is adequate parking along both sides of Brookline within the park and along Jefferson/Ludlow Avenue to the north. It is an open and flat space, and no trees will need to be removed. It will bring positive, community activity to an underutilized area of Burnet Woods. A connection to a water source is accessible from the water main in the street. And it will include an ADA accessible access point to the sidewalk midway down Brookline ensuring that all users of the park who park along Brookline do not have to travel long distances in the street to access the park.
Cincinnati Parks Staff identified seven criteria to assist in the selection of a location for a dog park: relatively flat; City-owned; at least 10,000 sf; walking distance to homes, but not too close; adjacent parking; non-intrusive to other park uses; and access to water. After careful consideration of these seven dog park criteria, the site in the northeast section of Burnet Woods along Brookline was determined to be the best option for a dog park.
History:
The idea of creating a dog park in Burnet Woods was first studied in December 2014, when a detailed UC Student study was conducted concluding, “After approximating the number of dog owners in the area, we have determined that a dog park would provide the urban community of Clifton with a natural setting to bring their dogs. Dog parks are more than an area for just dogs, they provide a comfortable setting for human socializations.” And further, along with other proposed improvements to the park would “bring more people into the parks, which will help improve its image.”
In 2018, enthusiasm for creation of a dog park grew when the Clifton Pop-up-Pup-Party (PUPP) was created as a monthly mobile dog park event demonstrating strong and consistent community participation averaging about 75 visitors per session.
Over the last 3 years, Park Board members and Staff participated in numerous community meetings and events, received a large amount of public feedback, analyzed and researched the project including discussing the item and considering Staff reports and analysis in at least 6 public Park Board meetings. As identified and analyzed by Parks Staff, 7 sites were considered as potential dog park location. A number of factors were analyzed including size, fit, parking, access, and more. At the August 2021 board meeting, after careful consideration of Parks Staff reports, various data, factors, surveys, discussion, and feedback from area community councils, neighborhood organizations, and community residents, the Cincinnati Board of Park Commissioners determined the preferred site was in the northeast corner of Burnet Woods along Brookline Drive. They also proposed providing $300,000 to the project, with the remaining dollars raised by the community.
The proposed 8,900 sf site is south of the northeastern entrance of Burnet Woods off of Jefferson Avenue adjacent to Brookline Avenue. The size of the dog park represents only two tenth of one percent (0.2%) of the total 89.3 acres of Burnet Woods. As depicted below, the proposed project would be contained with 5 ft black fencing, double-fenced entry, include synthetic turf specifically engineered with materials and drainage to accommodate dog use, water access, benches, a play mound, a doggy drinking fountain (for humans too), trash receptacles, a planting bed, concrete seat walls, and of course plenty of mutt mitts.
To learn more, see below for responses to frequently asked questions about the project.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How much will the project cost and how will it be paid for?
Latest estimates have the project costs at $450,000. The Board of Park Commissioners have earmarked $300,000 contingent upon community fundraising.
- Once built, are there resources to ensure it will be maintained?
It is important to consider the ongoing maintenance of any new park amenity, and ensure that the maintenance needs of the new amenity can be handled with existing resources or that additional resources are identified. In this case, both are true. The up-keep and cleaning of the dog park can be handled by the current Parks Staff assigned to care for Burnet Woods. In addition, community dog park supporters have agreed to host annual fundraising events to care for the dog park and fund repairs over time.
- What is the status of the project and timeline for completion?
Cincinnati Parks is currently working to refine and finalize the design for the dog park to align the project budget with available resources. The project is contingent upon community fundraising, and project advocates are currently fundraising to complete the project budget. Once funding is in place, the public procurement and construction process is estimated to take 6 months.
- How will the dog park impact noise and traffic to the park and surrounding neighborhood?
The location was chosen in part because it is both walkable to much of the neighborhood, while also not too close to residences, with the nearest housing at least 225 feet away. The dog park is not expected to lead to significant increased noise in the park. With the existing traffic along Ludlow and Jefferson, no substantial rise in sound pollution is anticipated beyond the current leashed canine visitors to the park. However, the location is surrounded by trees, which will further buffer any increased noise. The entrance will be from Brookline Avenue, so any increased traffic is generally to be contained within the park. There will also be an ADA accessible curb cut added to the sidewalk at the dog park which will increase accessibility to Burnet Woods for everyone who parks along Brookline.
- Given traffic in the surrounding area is the site safe for dogs? If it is fenced, will it fit into the aesthetic of the Burnet Woods and the surrounding neighborhood?
The safety of park users, and our canine friends is of paramount importance. The current design calls for full fencing of the dog park, which will be a safety requirement on behalf of the animals to allow them a safe place to play off leash. Fencing and finish selection will be chosen by Parks Staff to compliment the surrounding finishes and take into account park location, and status as a high destination regional park.
- Given the existing drainage issues within Burnet Woods, have pet waste, run-off and smell nuisance in the surrounding areas been considered?
Yes, it is of the highest concern. Parks Staff will work to ensure these issues are properly mitigated and managed. The dog park will consist of synthetic turf atop a base of crushed aggregate with an antibacterial treatment specifically designed to accommodate dog waste. The turf is also porous allowing drainage through the turf into the ground like natural grass.
- Will the artificial turf be safe for dogs? Will it become discolored and unattractive?
The benefit to having synthetic turf in this dog park is that it is low maintenance yet resilient. In a dog park of this smaller size, grass is less practical from a wear and tear standpoint. The high usage would lead to bare patches that would become muddy and periodically closed and reseeded. In a larger dog park such as the ones in Mt. Airy Forest or in Otto Armleder Park, there is plenty of space for the dogs to spread out and grass can be more resilient. Plus, artificial turf does not require mowing or trimming/edging.
The synthetic turf chosen is a high-quality, non-toxic material designed so dogs cannot dig or chew through and is specially treated to maintain color. The materials are also designed to reduce surface temperature and help protect from fleas and ticks. In addition, Parks will continue to investigate other alternatives throughout the design process to ensure the final option is the best.
- Have local residents and organizations had the opportunity to provide feedback?
Over the last 3 years, a significant number of discussions have taken place in the neighborhood, at public Park Board meetings, and at community councils about creating a dog park serving the Clifton area. During this time, significant feedback in the form of phone calls, media stories, social media messages, letters, public speakers at Park Board meetings, emails, and surveys have been received. This survey, for example, conducted by Cincinnati Parks in the spring of 2021 garnered 850 respondents and 1,384 comments.
While every resident and park user will not ultimately agree with every decision pertaining to our vast park system, the Board of Park Commissioners and Cincinnati Parks Staff are grateful for the substantial interest in this project and continue to carefully consider and weigh all public feedback in decision making
- The dog park isn’t included in the current 2007 Parks Master Plan. How does it fit within the longer-term goals of the Park Board?
The current Parks Master Plan was completed in 2007 and provides a helpful guide in ensuring our vast park system is serving the City and those we serve. However, being 15 years old the plan represents a living document often changed and adapted to meet the current needs and desires of our community. Dog parks have become an increasingly popular park amenity. According to a Park Pulse Survey by the National Recreation and Park Association, 91% of Americans believe dog parks provide benefits to their communities.
- Our park system already has millions in deferred maintenance needs, shouldn’t we prioritize addressing these before building something new?
Cincinnati Parks is keenly aware of the maintenance and repair needs of our vast system of parks, preserves and amenities spanning 5,000 acres, or about 10% of the City of Cincinnati’s land. In fact, the Board of Park Commissioners recently commissioned a study that determined about $40 Million in outstanding infrastructure needs. Many immediate projects indicated in this study are underway now and others are being carefully prioritized so this maintenance gap may be addressed as quickly and efficiently as possible. In fact, Burnet Woods has recently seen a number of improvements to the disc golf course, fishing station, the paths near the lake, the playgrounds, and a major invasive species removal project is currently transforming the natural areas of the park.
Often Cincinnati Parks is approached by individual donors or civic organizations offering to fully or partially fund improvements supported by the community, make sense, and may not be on the existing list of publicly funded projects. We are always eager to evaluate each of these and make individual determinations. In this case, the public support and fundraising remain a critical factor in the project moving forward.
- Will any trees be impacted? What about bird and other wildlife habitat?
Parks Urban Forestry experts were involved in the site selection process to carefully ensure no impacts to existing trees or other wildlife habitat (this of course excludes invasive breeds of trees which should be removed wherever possible). In addition, the selected site is a small, grassy area located along the edge of the park, adjacent to a park access road and will not disturb more densely wooded areas of the park.
- Has parking availability for residents and park visitors been considered?
This project is not expected to negatively impact parking. There are 66 parking spaces along Brookline. Further, as has been the experience in other dog parks, it is expected the majority of visitors will walk their dog to the park.
- Can I still provide feedback?
Yes! Email the Cincinnati Board of Park Commissioners at cincy.parks@cincinnati-oh.gov with any feedback about this project, or any matter related to Cincinnati Parks.