New Monroe Avenue Dog Park in the Works
Park will be part of the Potomac Yard parks network.
Photos
A new dog park is in the works for Monroe Avenue not far from where the current Simpson Stadium Dog Park is located.
Project planners with Alexandria’s Planning Department and Land Planning & Design Associates made a presentation about the park to the Del Ray Citizens Association last week at Mount Vernon Community School.
The 1-acre, fenced-in park will be located on the south side of Monroe Avenue between a yet-to-be-built Dominion Virginia Power substation and a new multi-family development.
Amenities will include separate inbound and outbound gates on both sides of the park, pressure-fed water fountains, benches, deciduous trees, shrubbery and a bike rack. Planners will place temporary fencing around the trees inside the park to allow them to flourish and create shade for visitors.
The start of construction of the new park depends on when the substation—to be located just east of the old Gold Crust Bakery—begins. Construction of the dog park should take 60 to 90 days.
The dog park probably won't be open by spring of 2013 "and that is all dependent on Dominion’s plans,” said Zac Lette, of Land Planning & Design Associates.
Lette said the new park will be part of the Potomac Yard parks network, which also includes all of Landbay K.
The new dog park is not replacing Simpson Stadium Dog Park across Monroe Avenue. At a Del Ray Citizens Association meeting last year, planners discussed reserving the new park for smaller dogs and leaving the Simpson Stadium park to larger dogs.
The separation is still a possibility, but will probably be determined at a later date.
“It’s not decided if it will be separate,” said Colleen Willger, an urban planner with the city. “We’ll let users determine the use and we’ll follow what happens before making a programming decision.”
In This article
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Simpson Stadium Park
426 E Monroe Ave, Alexandria, VA -
Mount Vernon Community School
2601 Commonwealth Ave, Alexandria, VA -
DelRayRez
10:53 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Yawn.
Deb Critchley
8:01 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The new dog park is an excellent idea and larger than the current park next to Simpson field. It has been my 14 yrs of experience at dog parks that most dogs over 15 lbs do just fine in a large park. It is the smaller or more submissive dogs that are sometimes targeted. A small area inside the new park could be fenced off for smaller dogs.
Deb Critchley
8:02 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
What I don't see are parking lots!
Barbara
8:25 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
It seems strange location for a new Dog Park for Potomac Yard. Located on the West side of Route 1 and close to the existing dog park in Simpson Park, Potomac Yard residents will have to cross Rt. 1 with their dogs, big or small.
You would think the City of Alexandria and Potomac Yard developers could come up with something a bit more user friendly for the residents of the new homes being built there.
Phillip Cide
12:23 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Actually the original location of the Potomac Yard dog park was to be in a piece of land called Rail Park (about 3-4 acre) between the CSX rail line and the Metro rail line. Unfortunately, the City in negotiations with the developer did not obtain clear easement rights to access the property, and the adjacent townhome community disputed this access. A pedestrian bridge was also planned to cross over the CSX but the location shifted several times ( at least once due to easement rights) and finally the City accepted equivalent funds from the developer in lieu of building the bridge. Initially the funds were to be used in conjunction with the PY Metro stop to provide pedestrian access to the north end of Rail Park, but I believe as the plans for the Metro stop keep shifting even further north, this is no longer possible. This 3 to 4 acre parcel the City owns essentially has no access.
Joseph M.
3:03 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thanks, Phillip for the background. You wrote that "adjacent townhome community disputed this access". I heard that one reason for the dispute was because the Potomac Green townhomes reportedly didn't want barking dogs near them.
Perhaps there is a reason, but I don't get why it was then decided to shift the dog park to a location adjacent to an existing dog park. Is there a need for extra space or was this just the easiest place to shift it? If the latter, I hope it was explored to just eliminate the new dog park and perhaps build something else.
Phillip Cide
6:13 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Joseph, several years ago, there was quite a lot of public pressure (a sleeper issue that woke up) to increase the number of dog parks. The loss of access to the Rail Park upset a lot of people looking forward to a large dog park. Also, the Simpson dog park used to be smaller. If I remember correctly, with most of the south PY planning completed, this was probably the easiest place. It worked well being adjacent to the substation and all the land swapping needed to make that work.
Boberiwhite@aol.com
9:16 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Not a pet owner but if it keeps people from bringing their dogs to t-ball and soccer games I'm for it
Linda Lyons
7:57 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
"Reserve for small dogs"? Why? The issue isn't dog size but dog behavior and training. "Reserve" for well-behaved dogs. I have known some really aggressive small dogs and placid big dogs. Big dogs really need the room of a dog park to run. Also anyone who has gone to a dog park probably noticed that dogs don't really see size--they see behavior and attitude.
Deb Critchley
9:56 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
Linda - You couldn't have said it better.
Barbara
2:44 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
That's true! A Del Ray neighbor remarked that she had taken her lab to the Dog Park for the last time after her older, more passive dog had been aggressively treated by a smaller dog there. It isn't size that counts.
dandaman606
12:32 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Last Saturday at this location you couldn't park for two blocks around Simpson. the Monroe Giant lot was filled. Young kids scrambling neighborhood streets to got to their soccer game in cleats at the long needed new fields. There were baseball games going on at both fields with as many as eight teams at the same time around all fields. Add this to people trying to go the Y, and neighborhood people trying to park their car, and all at the same time. All this because the city planners did not see fit to add one additional parking space to the area. Last year the existing dog park was enlarged, to accommodate the most vocal, organized, and wealthy constituency in the city, dog park activists. Del Ray Dogs got their park, and one reserved for small dogs! Has this city lost its mother lovin mind? Alexandria has the least amount of green space of any city its size, and the most amount of dogs and dog parks per capita, and the worst schools in the state. The state is taking over Jefferson Houston School,the City is closing Warwick pool, reducing library hours,and extending parking meter times. They should have put the dog park at Jefferson Houston. Maybe that way with connected dog park activists on site poor minority kids could get an education and have somewhere to get off the street in the summer at the pool. What an absolutely pathetic ethos in this city. So much for that caring liberal philosophy here. I'm ashamed to call this place home sometimes.
RJ
2:26 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
I wonder how many people are driving that live less than a 1/2 mile from the park.
Deb Critchley
1:38 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
1. The dog park is not limited to the most wealthy in the city.
2. The soccer folks are quite vocal and as a result, had multiple soccer fields built by the city even as they acknowledged that there was no parking being built to accommodate their numbers.
3. The new dog park was originally to built across Rt 1 in Potomac Yards and over 5 acres to accommodate the large quantity of homes and the resulting increase in dogs. The city, in its everpresent greed, allowed the PY builders to reduce the dog park to next to nothing so as to increase the number of taxable buildings...
4. The soccer folks show total disregard for all in their use and abuse of the facilities. They park in the handicap spaces without a permit. Have you walked the area on Sunday morning? Have you seen the empty juice boxes, candy wrappers, potato chip bags, etc. etc. The dogs aren't drinking juice or eating candy.Dog owners pick up their animal's waste. Soccer folks don't pick up their children's waste!
5. And rather than post less than informed posts here, go to city council mtgs, etc. and voice your concerns. That's how you solve problems, not post facts not in evidence.
dandaman606
2:20 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
If you had bothered to read my post more carefully I never said the dog park is limited to the most wealthy. I said dog park activists are a relative wealthy constituency, which is indisputable. When was the last time you saw poor folks clamor for another dog park? Have you run into any at the Monroe park lately? As for the "soccer folks total disregard" for the area. Have you actually witnessed them litter? Do dog owners always pick up their waste? Why is it the fault of the soccer folks there's no parking, but none for the planned new dog park? And please don't insult my intelligence by saying because everyone will walk there. I noticed that you did not bother to address the other issues such as failing schools,closing pools etc. As for me not attending council meeting etc, you seem to assume the fact that I've never gone. What school meeting did you attend when it was announced that minority kids only have 29% proficiency in reading and math? You were probably too busy lobbying for another dog park; which now brings the total to 20 in the city.Accusing me of " posting facts not in evidence" is really beyond the pale. If only you had the time to read your own opinionated screed before lecturing me. You got your new dog park, now we welcome you to become involved in issues that actually impact others in the city.