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Frisco residents are split over the possible addition of a dog park to BF Phillips Park, although few residents with hesitations have concerns about the park itself.
More than 80 people attended a public meaning to discuss the possible revision to the park’s master plan to include a minimum 2-acre dog park in the southeast corner near 4th Army Memorial Road. The proposed site rests upon an elevated area that would be buffered from the rest of the park by elevation changes, a power line easement, and a dense cluster of trees.
Dudley Raymond, parks planning and business development manager, said that the city has been searching for a place to locate a dog park for several years, and that the location in BF Phillips Park is ideal because the dog park may be easily separated from the rest of the park without becoming too far out of the way for residents to find.
“Quite honestly I’m not sure what else to do with this area,” Raymond said. “I’m not saying we need to put something on every acre that we have, but it’s not really taking away from some other amenity that may or may not be in that location.”
Residents from nearby neighborhoods said that they purchased their home when BF Phillips was designed to be a small neighborhood park, and they were uncomfortable with the plans changing without their input.
“My concern is that adding the dog park will delay completion of the elements that we were already told would be there,” said Lisa Noyes, who lives near the proposed park.
Some residents expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking space for the dog park. Raymond said that the dog park will be designed with sufficient parking spots, and that the natural buffers will discourage visitors from parking along Trail Side Drive to reach the dog park.
Other residents asked why the dog park is being considered at this location in the near future, as several city parks are still in development stages and the dog park may be included in an original master plan. Raymond said that the city is working on several parks and recreation projects, and that BF Phillips provided a unique layout conducive for a dog park.
“Just because we’re working on this element doesn’t mean it’s our No. 1 priority,” Raymond said.
One resident who lives near the proposed site said his neighbors are worried about the noise, odor, and possibility of stray dogs.
A majority of the residents at the meeting indicated that they were in favor of the dog park, including Nathan Feighner, who owns a black Labrador retriever. He said that he occasionally takes his dog to the dog parks in Plano and Dallas, but does not go as often as he would like because of the distance.
The proposed Frisco dog park is within walking distance of Feighner’s home, and he said he would probably visit a couple times each week.
“It provides a great place for dogs to socialize and people to socialize,” Feighner said. “We don’t have anywhere [in Frisco] to let our dogs run free.”
The consultants said that if the dog park is approved, it would contain shaded areas, drinking water stations, benches or bleachers, clean-up materials, etiquette signs, open spaces, and natural visual barriers. With a greater investment it could include separate enclosures for large and small dogs, agility training stations, and wash stations.
The Parks and Recreation Committee and Community Development Corp. will review the input from the meeting and make a recommendation to the City Council on revising the BF Phillip’s master plan to include a dog park. The City Council will make the final decision, but it is unclear if or when it will come up for a vote.
