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Residents urge council to keep and upgrade Central Bark; city says staff will re-engage community
Summary
Residents from several neighborhoods pressed the council to retain and upgrade the city’s Central Bark dog park instead of relocating it. City staff said they had developed an alternate plan to improve Central Park and will reengage affected residents before decisions are finalized.
Dozens of Irvine residents told the council on April 8 they want the city to keep and upgrade Central Bark—the city’s dog park at Central Park—rather than move it to Oak Creek Park. Speakers said the dog park is a community hub that supports owners, seniors and social ties, and they urged the council to restore a previously planned relocation and associated improvements.
Several residents representing Orange Tree and nearby neighborhoods said staff originally proposed moving the dog park to a site near Oak Creek to accommodate other city projects. After outreach to nearby homeowners, staff explored alternatives. City Manager Chi told the council staff had identified ways to avoid relocating the park by reconfiguring parking and construction staging, and that staff is proposing a capital-improvement allocation in the FY 2025–27 budget to upgrade Central Park with new turf, shade and drainage work.
Speakers said the change had been poorly communicated and that some community groups opposing the original relocation plan were not contacted. Others raised environmental and safety concerns about one proposed site, which sits adjacent to an Orange County hazardous-waste disposal property, and cited noise and traffic impacts for homes near Oak Creek.
Several residents praised Council member Carroll for meeting with neighborhood representatives and asked for continued one-on-one engagement with staff. The city manager said staff had consulted some organizers of the dog-park support group but that opinions had clearly shifted; he said staff will reengage broadly and bring a refined proposal back to council.
No formal vote was taken on the dog-park matter at the April 8 meeting; council members said the issue would be agendized for future discussion and that staff would notify affected neighborhoods and groups as work continues.
