Karen Doyle has walked her dogs around her home in Port Royal, in the Queensborough area of New Westminster, since the former sawmill site was first redeveloped 17 years ago.
Three years ago, thanks to petitioning by members of the community, and to Doyle’s delight, an enclosed off-leash dog park went in just up the street from her condo. Finally, she and her husband could let their two dogs run free in a sanctioned area that is complete with communal dog-water bowls and enough room for the animals to play.
But now, the city-owned land on which the Queensborough Dog Area sits has been sold, to Platform Development Ltd., and Doyle is not happy about it.
“(The dog park) has been a bonus for everybody and now they are taking it away,” said Doyle.
Doyle said the park has been very well used since it was created. “At any time of day there are dogs using this park in the rain, snow and sunshine,” she said.
The park is so popular that every year there is a dog picnic for all the local pooches and their owners, which is hosted by a local woman who doesn’t even own a pet, Doyle said.
According to the city, while the land has been sold, the title on the land has not been transferred to the purchaser and won’t be until certain subjects are cleared, such as rezoning of the property. Even if, or when, rezoning takes place, the dog park still won’t have to close right away.
“The city still has a period of two years after rezoning before it has to relinquish that site,” said Dean Gibson, director of parks, culture and recreation for New Westminster.
In the meantime, city staff will be starting a process with local residents to find a spot within the area to relocate the dog park, once the current location closes.
Gibson pointed out the parcel of land the dog park is on was never intended to permanently go to the dogs.
“It was a triangle that was identified by local residents… and because it didn’t have any other specific uses at the time it seemed to make sense to put it to that particular use, but it wasn’t envisioned as a permanent, for now and forever more use of the site,” he said.
Doyle said she hopes the city puts in a new park, within walking distance, as soon as the current one is gone.
About 70 per cent of Port Royal residents have a pet, most of them dogs, she said.
Doyle predicts that without the park dog owners would have a hard time following the on-leash rules of other areas.
“We are not allowed to be on the beach because people don’t want to hear the dogs running up and down barking… people are going to start using the beach area again (if they have nowhere else),” she said.
