Council and staff promise short-term parking fixes for Westminster Hills dog park; longer area plan underway

Residents pleaded with the council on Feb. 24 to ease years-long parking, noise and safety issues stemming from heavy dog-park use at Westminster Hills. Council members and city staff said they will pursue immediate, neighborhood-focused parking measures while a consultant-led area management plan proceeds.

“Keep your eyes closed for 3 minutes … and then imagine standing in your living room with the same noise right outside your window for 12 hours a day every single weekend and holiday for 9 months of the year,” resident Melissa Koss told the council about weekend noise and traffic. Koss said neighbors have sought help from the city since 2017.

Council members followed with questions and criticisms. Mayor Pro Tem (Narmillo) asked for an update on parking management; Councilor Rosati specifically raised parking as a priority to accelerate rather than wait for the full consultant report. “We need to talk about the parking at the dog park sooner than 12 months from now,” Rosati said.

City Manager Jody Andrews told the council the area management consultant is nearly engaged and that staff will pursue immediate parking measures before the longer planning process is complete. “We will reach out to the neighbors with some more immediate parking actions that we’re able to take,” Andrews said, adding staff will bounce tactical ideas off the neighborhood before implementation.

Council members also urged law-enforcement and parking enforcement attention during busy weekends and asked staff to explore options such as reserved parking, permit tags or short-term restriction strategies. Staff emphasized that long-term changes that affect the neighborhood will include community engagement to ensure residents’ views are considered.