Opinion: Dog Parks Aren't a Priority in a Housing Crisis

"Should DC spend about $2 million on a parcel of land in Columbia Heights to build a dog park?"

1 minute read

January 27, 2019, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Dog Park

Jon Hurd / Flickr

Alex Baca and Nick Finio write an opinion piece on the controversial role of dog parks in housing-impacted urban neighborhoods.

In this case, the proposed dog park would be located on an empty 7,335 square-foot parcel owned by the WMATA and located at 11th Street and Park roads NW in Washington, D.C. Empty for 20 years, the WMATA has allowed people to use the parcel as a dog park since 2009.

"WMATA, which still faces budget shortages, is selling surplus land like this parcel to generate more revenue," according to the article. "In May, the DC Council included $1.5 million to purchase the property from WMATA in its FY2019 budget. The market value is estimated to be closer to $2.1 million. Now that it's officially up for sale, dog park users are urging the council to offer to pay the market rate—$2.1 million—to buy the parcel."

Still, the authors consider the proposition of building a dog park with tax payer money is a housing-constrained city to present a moral quandary that they just can't abide. "Despite our affection toward animals, we believe that spending scarce city funds to preserve this particular parcel as as [sic] dog park is a bad idea, particularly if there’s any chance of this land being used to build more homes for people," write Baca and Finio.

Friday, January 25, 2019 in Greater Greater Washington

View of Interstate 205 bridge over Columbia River with Mt. Hood in background.

The Unceremonious Death of a Freeway Expansion Project

The end of an Oregon freeway project didn't get much fanfare, but the victory is worth celebrating.

September 19, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

A derelict sign on a barbed wire fence reads “Golf Course, Private, No Admittance.”

Converting Golf Courses to Housing Never as Easy as the Market Would Like

Thousands of golf courses have closed in recent years, but the obvious redevelopment opportunity represented by many defunct courses isn’t always easy to realize.

September 19, 2023 - The Business Journals

Close-up of red Houston BCycle bike share bikes parked at a station

Houston To End Bike Share Program

Lacking the funding it needs to continue, Houston’s BCycle bike share system will end operations in the coming months.

September 18, 2023 - Houston Chronicle

Close-up of Unalakleet, Alaska on map.

FTA Announces Tribal Transit Program Grants

The agency awarded close to $10 million to 22 communities around the country for transit improvements.

2 hours ago - Mass Transit

View from inside glass top floor of Amtrak passenger train with Rocky Mountains scenery outside.

Making Colorado’s Front Range Rail a Reality

Local leaders are scrambling to bring together the funding and political support to create new intercity rail service in the fast-growing region.

3 hours ago - Governing

Students walking on sunny walkway on college campus.

How College Campuses Fulfill an Urbanist Dream

Most college campuses in the United States are inherently walkable, mixing various uses with diverse housing options and transit networks.

4 hours ago - The Daily

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.