Minnetonka Park Board backs Purgatory off-leash map, asks staff to identify more dog areas citywide

The Minnetonka Park Board on April 23 voted to forward the Purgatory Park off‑leash design shown in the park’s master plan to the City Council and asked staff to develop three candidate locations elsewhere in the city for designated off‑leash dog areas. The board approved the Purgatory recommendation 5–2 and later voted unanimously to ask staff to produce accelerated options for additional sites, citing resident demand and the upcoming May 19 enforcement date in the new city ordinance.

The decision matters because a Nov. 2024 city ordinance requires dogs to be on a leash citywide unless they are within a designated off‑leash area; that requirement takes effect May 19, 2025. Park staff told the board the ordinance allows designation “by barriers and/or signage” and that a mapped area plus signage can fulfill the designation even if permanent fencing arrives later. “So that’s why we use this term designated off leash areas, and they can be designated with signage,” staff member Matt Kamka told the board during the presentation.

Board members debated two proposed Purgatory Park parcels — identified in staff materials as Area 1 (roughly 7–10 acres) and Area 2 (about 6–8+ acres) — and questioned whether the recommended footprint struck the right balance among public safety on the primary trail, natural‑resource protection, parking and neighborhood impacts. Several members urged protection of mapped high‑quality plant communities shown in the Natural Resources Master Plan, while…