Residents offer thoughts on potential Burbank dog park

Burbank resident Terry Hudgens said he “beat the street” handing out fliers and talking to neighbors recently about an off-leash dog park in the city, which he’s worried could impact wildlife near his home.

Hudgens lives adjacent to Bel Aire Park and across from an open area being considered as a potential site for the park, where he said he watches roughly 22 deer graze every day.

“That’s not going to be there if they build that park,” Hudgens said on Wednesday following a public discussion of the city’s conceptual plans for a potential park at one of three proposed sites — the Starlight Bowl parking lot and Johnny Carson Park South are the other two. At the event, residents could vote for their preferred site.

About 50 residents attended the first of two sessions this month to review and discuss the plans. A second will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Community Services Building, located at 150 N. Third St.

Residents may also find information on the city’s website at https://bit.ly/1Fn7gZU, and submit input or questions to BurbankDogPark@burbankca.gov.

Judie Wilke, director of the city’s Park, Recreation and Community Services Department, and other staff were on hand to answer questions and solicit feedback, as were representatives of AHBE Landscape Architects, the Los Angeles-based firm the city hired to help develop the plans.

For each of the three locations, two options were presented — “option A” with mostly basic amenities such as designated large and small dog areas, benches, drinking fountains and waste stations, and “option B” with additional parking, concrete paving and other costlier features.

Several residents from the neighborhood near Bel Aire Park voiced concerns about the proposed site in their neighborhood affecting traffic, parking and costs to the city.

Wilke said cost estimates will be developed at a later stage of the planning process, after her staff and the consultants gather public feedback and present their recommendations to the City Council, but the costs at Bel Aire could reach $1.5 million because of grading and other work needed.

Several residents, including longtime resident Laverne Thomas, who has advocated for the dog park for nearly two decades, told Wilke they thought the park was better suited for a less-residential area such as Johnny Carson Park South.

Based on resident feedback to the plans, option A at Johnny Carson Park South seemed to be the most popular site and option. However, several residents who live near that park said it’s not ideal, either, with parking and traffic issues of its own, especially on Riverside Drive during times when the Ventura (134) Freeway is congested.

Wilke said their concerns illustrate the main problem with the dog park proposals — “there’s no perfect site.”