How About a Dog Park at Bundy School?
Mt. Vernon Sq. has an informative post on plans for the Bundy School site at 429 O Street. Personally, I'm disappointed that the Planning Commission's vision for the site has been trashed, but it looks like a fait accompli so I guess we'll have to make the best of it.
Here's an idea: How about using some part of the parking lot in back of the school building to create a dog park? The lot is enormous, and there would be plenty of room to dedicate some of it for that purpose and still have lots of room for parking cars.
The Office of Property Management says it wants to include the community in plans for landscaping, etc., so why not take them at their word? This would be a valid community recreational use of the sort that was envisioned for the site, and would be one way for the neighborhood to get some use from the property.
Just to be clear: I'm not talking about the playing field next door, which is under DC Parks and Recreation. That would remain as is: in lousy condition and poorly utilized.
posted by DaddyFiveOh @ 7:42 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
this is an excellent idea and i will be happy to support this and i do not yet own a dog. it's great for the neighborhood, the animals and people.
I agree with RR. I am not as bummed because it sounds like Safe Shores is a worthwhile org.
they will be at C. Chapple's SMD meeting, bring it up then. Intriguing idea, is the lot really that big?
that is a field not a lot and runs ove 1,000 ft in length
sorry, maybe 300 not 1,000 ft long
I paced off the parking lot to get a rough measure. It's about 270 feet by 200 feet, roughly 55,000 square feet--about 1 1/4 acre. Probably equal to 9 or 10 city lots on P Street.
There's a strip maybe 30 feet wide on the eastern side that is on a little rise and unpaved with grass and a tree or two. Combining that with, say, 20 feet of the currently paved lot would provide an area of about 10,000 sq.ft, which would make a decent-sized dog park, and still leave lots of room for parking.
The key would be having an association of dog owners who will actively police the area and keep it from becoming a nuisance. Unfortunately, many dog owners are still not picking up the poop. The margins of the Bundy Field are littered with dog poop, which just gives ammunition to those who would oppose a dog park by making all dog owners look bad.
Come on, folks...SCOOP THE POOP! And no nonsense about how it's all part of nature's cycle.
would also help to get a nifty bag dispenser & a trash can, some good anti-dookie signage...
I'm looking at the plat map on GIS. the bundy school land is 35,459 sq ft. The bundy field which seems to be L shaped is 104,595sq ft and is owned by the federal governement. The latter lot includes the parking lot. hmm
Si, I should have checked out the GIS before--thanks for the reminder. I guess my stride is a bit shorter than I thought, but it still comes out to about 30,000 sq.ft. for the parking lot in the rear of the school. Lots of room for both uses.
This is very interesting. If the playing field and the parking lot are owned by the US Government, how come the District of Columbia Parks and Rec. Dept. has the authority to post the "no dogs allowed" signs? Wouldn't this pertain to the US Park Service?
It will be interesting to know if the Safe Shores arrangement includes the parking lot (sounds like it does). In that case, has the USG somehow turned over authority to the DC Govt? A lot of unanswered questions.
Makes me glad they are coming to C. Chapple's SMD meeting. This all needs to be clarified.
Post a Comment
<< Home