Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has just dished out a plan for expanding off-leash areas (OLAs) in the city. Acting on the zeal of over 4,700 survey participants and on-the-ground feedback from farmer's market-goers in the summer of 2023, SPR is gearing up to bankroll the creation of two new OLAs and design one more for future construction, as per Seattle Parks and Recreation.
It's a tail-wagging prospect for West Seattle Stadium and Othello Park, which were tagged as the top spots for the imminent dog parks where puppies can play and socialize; and there's talk of designing an OLA for Ravenna Park, though extra dollars will have to be dug up for the actual build. This comes on top of the three OLAs already in the pipeline - Georgetown Flume, South Park Community Center Park and Smith Cove Park are all in the works, ready to embrace the paws and claws of Seattle's furry friends.
But not all parks are joining the paw-ty. Brighton Playfield and East Queen Anne Playfield, although earmarked as suitable by SPR, will be on a leash for a bit longer – we are talking about internal plans that need shaping up, and chit-chats with the community due to the current park uses that would need a shuffle.
Moving on, not every patch of green has thrown the bone: View Ridge Playfield, Powell Barnett Park, Discovery Park, and Lincoln Park have been scratched from the list over concerns raised by the community and clashes with current activities – nobody's barking up the wrong tree with them.
