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Council hears plan to rezone York Park parcel back to public use for dog park
Summary
Staff proposed rezoning a roughly half-acre parcel at the far east of York Park from residential-moderate to public/semi-public to allow creation of an additional park feature—likely a dog park—and said the work appears budgeted though final design and dedication remain to be determined.
City planning staff presented an ordinance to rezone a parcel at the far east end of York Park back to public/semi-public to enable development of additional park space, likely a dog park.
Amy Roscoe said the parcel is just over a half-acre and that a prior rezoning to residential-moderate had been intended to facilitate a sale. Utilities and extension costs made that approach uneconomic, so staff now proposes restoring the public/semi-public zoning to facilitate park development.
Councilmember Jan Schweddy asked whether the park budget includes funds for the work; Roscoe replied she believed a dog park is “budgeted for,” and described the likely improvements as relatively simple—grading, fencing and basic grooming of an existing grass field. Several councilmembers and park commissioners in the audience expressed support; Councilmember Michelle Blythe thanked staff and the parks commissioners for pursuing the dog park because of the neighborhood’s need.
Staff said the city would prefer dedication of lower open-space areas to the city at the time of development but noted the decision depends on the future developer or owner; staff described the bottom slope and adjacent railroad right-of-way as constraints on the developable area. No final rezoning vote or ordinance adoption was recorded at the workshop.
Why it matters: changing the zoning back to public/semi-public would permit a municipal park use and could result in a new dog park in a neighborhood with nearby multi-family housing. The rezoning affects land use, park programming and the city’s capital planning for parks.
Next steps: staff is available to answer follow-up questions and would bring formal ordinance language and budget clarification to a future meeting for council action.
