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 others said the park’s longtime, heavy use by dog walkers and the new ordinance’s enforcement trigger made a near‑term designation necessary.

Supporters of the staff recommendation said the master plan had gone through extensive public input and that the map provides short‑term clarity while allowing future adjustments. Opponents said Area 2 as drawn was too small and expressed concern about nearby parking and impacts to a high‑quality oak ridge. After extended discussion the board adopted the master‑plan map for Purgatory Park, with a requirement that the board’s recommendation include targeted hard barriers along the primary eastern trail to reduce conflicts between on‑trail users and off‑leash dogs, and the board also asked staff to protect the ridge slope identified in the hearing discussion.

The board also resolved that any May 19 designation can be implemented initially by map and signage and followed by fencing or other infrastructure later. Kamka told the board staff expects to cost‑estimate fences and to schedule any permanent fencing work for summer construction cycles. He also noted the working group met three times (January–March) and used the Parks, Open Space and Trails (POST) plan and the Natural Resources Master Plan (NRMP) to develop siting and design criteria.

On a separate but related motion the board unanimously directed staff to return within weeks (staff was asked to propose a short timeframe) with three candidate locations for additional off‑leash areas across the city, drawing on the NRMP and the work‑group criteria. Board members specifically discussed the newly acquired parcel along Minnetonka Boulevard (the Minnetonka Mills/Big Willow corridor) as an early, high‑priority option because it has parking and low adjacent residential impacts; staff noted Big Willow is scheduled for master planning in 2025. The board asked staff to include cost, parking and natural‑resource implications for any candidate sites.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Send the Purgatory Park master‑plan off‑leash map to City Council (red/orange areas on page 45 as on‑leash; remaining areas off‑leash), with hard barriers along the primary eastern trail and protection of a ridgeline slope. Outcome: approved 5–2 (Yes: Christie, Lerman, Simurski, Vitale, Sharon Graham; No: Hanley, Schultz). No abstentions. - Motion: Direct staff to develop and return with three candidate off‑leash locations (including the Minnetonka Mills/Big Willow corridor) and associated options/costs on an accelerated timeline. Outcome: approved unanimously (7–0).

What the board asked staff to do next - Provide cost estimates and a short implementation timeline for signage and temporary fencing so at least a designation exists by May 19. - Return with three candidate citywide off‑leash locations (staff was asked to prioritize sites that provide parking and limit neighborhood impacts; Big Willow/Minnetonka Mills was explicitly discussed). - Produce options for soft versus hard barrier treatments at Purgatory and for targeted hard barriers along the primary east trail.

Background and context City Council adopted new dog ordinances in November 2024 that revise leash rules and create the “designated off‑leash area” concept. The ordinance’s May 19 trigger means that unless an area is designated, dogs must be on leash everywhere in city parks after that date. The park board’s action does not itself change the ordinance; it forwards the Purgatory recommendation and the city council will decide on any formal designation. Park staff emphasized designation can be accomplished initially via a formal map and signage and that fences and other amenities can be phased in as funding and contractors are secured.

Board members asked that communications to the public clarify that the current Purgatory configuration is a near‑term implementation of the master plan rather than a permanent change, and several members asked staff to emphasize that future shifts or additions could reduce the off‑leash footprint in sensitive prairie or high‑quality habitat areas as alternatives are created elsewhere.

For more information Staff said the park board packet, the Purgatory Park master plan (page 45), the Natural Resources Master Plan and the draft off‑leash guidance document are the governing materials reviewed at the meeting. The city will take public comment at the City Council meeting when the council considers the ordinance implementation (staff noted the council meeting is on May 5).