Proposed off-leash dog area gets nod from City Council
Residents seeking to let canines run free in La Cañada, at least in a limited space, may soon be able to do so legally, after City Council members gave the go ahead Tuesday for the design of a leash-optional run near the Cross Town Trail.
According to plans provided by city staff, refined throughout several meetings of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission in the past year, the proposed linear, 20-foot-wide fenced-in area would run about one-third of a mile, from Indiana Avenue north to Olive Lane, on a piloted basis.
The Cross Town Trail was one of five options explored by commissioners, who considered size, parking availability and access, said Carl Alameda, the city’s newly named director of administrative services who previously worked on the project.
“From the feedback that we’d gotten from those in the room, it seemed like a favorable option,” Alameda said. “It’s the area that’s currently being used now for people who run their dogs off-leash. So this would just give us a controlled area to have it.”
The property on which the trail was built is owned by Southern California Edison, though the city and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District have right-of-way access to the property
If the pilot plan is successful, Alameda said, the linear run would be extended north from Olive Lane to El Vago Street at some point in the future. To ensure safety, double gated entrances would provide a space for dog owners to leash and unleash their pets.
A small group of local residents and dog walkers — some of whom submitted a petition to the city in November 2013 to start the process — turned out Tuesday to show their support.
“I really wanted to just thank you tonight and especially thank Parks and Rec for having taken all this time,” said Los Amigo Street resident Dale Ball. “We even gave up at some point, but they didn’t.”
Randy Strapazon, past president of the LCF Trails Council, questioned some logistics of the plan, such as whether dog owners’ presence would be required inside the run and whether added precautions would need to be taken as word of the space spread and use increased.
Alameda said plans would continue to be refined as the project moved through the design phases and sought approval from SCE. He said that the city specifically avoided calling the area a dog park, so as to prevent it appearing in Web searches and attracting large crowds.
In her remarks, Councilwoman Terry Walker shared her enthusiasm for the project.
“[Dog owners] are begging for this type of thing,” Walker said. “A great deal of our residents and pet owners are going into La Crescenta, Pasadena and the adjacent communities, because we have nothing to offer them here. This will be a wonderful thing.”
The project, including details on cost and maintenance, is expected to come before council for a vote at a later date.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
