‘Bark Park’ Included in Land City Seeks

In a move that could bode well for users of the local “Bark Park,” the City Council on Tuesday will consider whether to buy an 8.4-acre parcel in Laguna Canyon that includes a fenced area where dogs are allowed to run freely.

City Manager Kenneth C. Frank, who is recommending that the council approve the purchase, said the land would more likely continue being used as a dog park if the city owned it than if the current landowner, General Telephone Co., sold it to somebody else.

“It would remain open because we don’t have any other immediate uses for the property,” he said.

City officials have been speaking with GTE representatives for about two years about buying the land, Frank said, but felt the previous asking price of about $1.1 million was too high. The land is mostly hillside but includes 2.8 acres now being used for the dog park.

The asking price is now $325,000, so negotiations have intensified over the past two months, Frank said.

If the council endorses the purchase, GTE officials would still have to give final approval to the sale.

The city would use a $200,000 grant from the California Transportation Commission and $57,000 from the state Department of Parks & Recreation to make the purchase, Frank said. The remaining $68,000, plus various closing costs, would come from a city fund set aside for the purchase of open space.

The city had been awarded the grant money to help buy a slice of land in Laguna Canyon that was part of a proposed development known as Laguna Laurel. Because the city could not raise the money needed to buy the final section of the Laguna Laurel property, it has asked for permission to redirect the money for other purchases, Frank said.

Tuesday’s meeting will be at 6 p.m. in council chambers, City Hall, 505 Forest Ave. Information: (714) 497-0705.