Evanston commissioners question Gray Park dog‑park plan, urge redesign to preserve amphitheater access

Evanston Public Works staff and a consulting landscape architect presented a proposal to install a fenced, access‑controlled dog park in Gray Park at the Preservation Commission’s May 20 meeting.

“It's on Main Street between Maple and Ridge,” said Stephanie Levine, senior project manager with the Public Works Agency, describing the site and the project background. She said the city mailed invitations to several hundred surrounding residents and held two community meetings; staff reported roughly 23 participants across the outreach events.

Liz Dafoe of Upland Design described the concept: a roughly central fenced area with two gated, keypad entries, a six‑foot ornamental aluminum fence with a tighter lower picket to restrict small‑dog egress, a concrete circulation surface that follows the existing paths, a drinking fountain with a bottle filler and dog bowl (installed if budget permits), seating, pet‑waste stations and keyed access tied to animal registration. “We’re proposing a 6 foot high ornamental fence,” Dafoe said.

Commissioners raised multiple concerns rather than taking a formal vote. Several members, including Charles Smith, said the park’s central limestone amphitheater and the park’s meandering, picturesque path system are character‑defining features and warned that running a straight fence through that area would change its historic feel and restrict public access. Smith and others asked staff to consider aligning any fence to follow the park’s informal paths and to preserve public access to the amphitheater.

Commissioners also pressed staff to make sure residents who currently use the amphitheater — including people associated with the nearby Albany Care facility — were fully engaged in outreach. Levine said staff had met with Albany Care staff and that seating and picnic tables on the Maple Avenue side would remain, but she acknowledged outreach records did not clearly document direct contact with all residents of the facility.

Budget and logistics were recurring constraints: Levine said the project’s available capital budget is approximately $250,000, and that a water line is not currently on site so providing the Evanston standard drinking fountain and bottle filler is dependent on cost. Staff also noted a Cook County requirement that dog‑park enclosures be limited to registered, vaccinated animals, which is why keypad access is proposed for the gate system.

The Preservation Commission provided review and comment to staff and asked that the administrative design submission address three priorities: 1) minimize visual and spatial impacts on the amphitheater and the park’s picturesque layout, 2) demonstrate outreach and accommodations for Albany Care residents who use the amphitheater and adjacent lawn, and 3) study non‑linear fence alignments and other siting options that protect the park’s historic qualities. Staff said they would incorporate the comments and expect to route final construction documents through administrative review.