Project Overview:

 

The Comprehensive Dog Park Study was initiated to address the lack of access to dog parks in our city. According to national standards, a city of our size should have four permanent dog parks; currently, we have only two public dog parks. The City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department is committed to developing two additional parks to meet this need. The first dog park will be established in the SE quadrant of the city, the area with the greatest gap in access, within the next two years.

See below for a timeline of the project thus far:

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City-Wide Survey: March 31, 2023 - April 30, 2023

The Parks & Recreation Department administered a city-wide dog park online survey that was advertised through the City of Grand Rapids website and social media, on temporary signage in 37 local parks, distributed through neighborhood associations and other stakeholder groups, and by local news outles. The survey was open from March 31 to April 30, 2023. 

Survey Overview:

  • Length: 15 questions
  • Number of Participants: 1,952
  • Number of Question Responses: 41,900
  • Number of Comments Collected: 1,739

See the next tab, "City-Wide Dog Park Survey Results," for more information on the results of the survey.

 

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Focus Groups: June 26, 2023 & July 17, 2023

Two seperate focus groups were held to provide an opportunity to discuss dog park amenities, signage, maintenance, and potential future dog park selection criteria at length with community members. The focus groups were held in Garfield Park and Richmond Park. 

The City of Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation Department invited over 100 people (those who indicated interest in the dog park survey) to attend the focus groups. Overall, 12 total residents participated. 

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Parks Inventory Review & Scoring

The Parks and Recreation Department took a look at its entire park inventory and scored each park in terms of its potential usage as a future dog park. Examples of some things that were consdiered are:

  • Proximity to a Grand Rapids Public School
  • Proximity to trails
  • Population within a 10 minute walk
  • Potential Dog Park size

Most of the scoring criteria was based on comments received through the survey and focus groups. These park scores, combined with the results of the city-wide dog park survey, helped to inform the location of the potential future dog park. 

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Community Share Out: August 18, 2024

The Parks and Recreation Deaprtment is going back to the community with a future dog park selected, MacKay Jaycees Park!

The Department is presenting the concept plan for the potential future dog park, and the results of the city-wide survey and internal park review, back to the community to allow for comments. 

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Design and Construction: 2026 - 2027

The dog park project will be rolled into the redevelopment project of the parking lot and internal roadways at Mackay Jaycees park, which will enter the design phase in 2026 and construction in 2027. Combining these two projects is essential in order to provide the best experince for current and future park users.