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Park staff proposes new dog park design guidelines, board presses on cost and maintenance
Summary
City park staff presented recommended dog park design guidelines emphasizing site selection, size classification and lower‑maintenance materials; board members asked for cost breakdowns and questioned the role of large, signature dog parks given long-term maintenance costs.
Jared White, training program manager for Dallas Parks and Recreation, presented the department’s proposed dog park design guidelines on Oct. 23, describing classifications (small, medium, large, signature), recommended amenities, and preferred materials to reduce long-term maintenance.
"We started looking at what the various master plans and site guidelines need to be," White said, explaining that staff developed the guidelines in-house to guide future site selection and design. The proposal calls for clear separation from traffic and sensitive habitats, appropriate buffering, shade, pet waste stations and designs that reduce maintenance burdens over time.
The guidelines note Dallas currently operates 11 dog parks (approximately 0.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents) and estimates the city needs two more to meet a 1-per-100,000 target used in planning. Staff recommended shifting from natural surfacing toward artificial turf and hardscape in many park types to lower long-term maintenance costs despite higher upfront installation costs.
Board members asked staff for more cost detail. "Cost really does depend on the area where you're putting the dog park because that changes everything," Jared White said, adding that factors such as irrigation, drainage, fencing specification and elevation drive costs. Board members cited local examples: park building costs discussed in the briefing included neighborhood parks in the low hundreds of thousands (Park Hill ~ $200,000) up to larger recent projects (Lakeland Hills cited near $400,000; North Park referenced at approximately $3.5 million) and an illustrative medium-to-large rule of thumb ($500,000 to $750,000; possibly up to $1 million) depending on scope and site conditions.
Several members emphasized maintenance burdens. "Maintenance is our second highest cost in this department," said Mr. Martin, noting more parks and amenities drive higher ongoing costs and staffing needs. Board members urged staff to document private or neighborhood-managed dog parks and to consider equity and service-area gaps when choosing sites.
Staff emphasized that the guidelines are a policy and design framework, not a site selection or construction program; they said the document will be revised to reflect board comments and then published to guide staff and consultants when proposals or funding requests arise.
No formal action was taken; staff said they will incorporate board feedback and publish the guidelines as a planning tool.
