What do you get when you have a dilapidated park, new development funds, and a vision? Well, let’s start from the beginning…
About the Space
This space, otherwise known as the “triangle grassy patch next to Redwood Roller Rink” was a small underused pocket park that was in dire need of a repurpose. Coupled with the need to renovate the adjacent street and dilapidated sidewalks, our department had a project on their hands. Simultaneously, we were searching for a space for dogs to play, as that has been a community request for quite some time. Since new open space is at a minimum for a project like this, these two issues seemed easy to marry into a solution.
Enter Landscape Architect, Claudia Olalla. Claudia wanted to create a usable space that would also breathe some life and color into this otherwise dreary location. After a number of meetings, it was decided that a dog agility park would be a fun way to liven up this space and clean up not only the park area, but the street and cul-de-sac as well. Several other projects surrounding street improvement and pedestrian safety were also addressed.
The newly renovated stretch of Main Street now boasts:
- Two new crosswalks
- New sidewalks, curb, gutter and plants
- New pedestrian-scale street lights along the entire block, plus two in the park itself!
- The Beech Street Dead End is now closed to vehicular traffic.
- Street trees – where there were no trees prior.
- New trees were planted inside the park to replace the sick Walnut trees that needed to be removed. In addition, the rare American Elm tree received some much-needed love and is accentuated with uplights to make it a specimen tree.
About the Dog Park
Due to the awkward nature of the park’s footprint and proximity to the railroad tracks, finding an appropriate use for this land was definitely a challenge. We needed to come up with a more creative way for dogs and their humans to enjoy the new park. The closing of the Beech Street cul-de-sac would provide an extension to the park and an additional place for folks to gather. Claudia envisioned a “living room” look and feel, and the street now features a hand painted dog-themed rug with industrial block seating surrounding it.
It was quickly realized that the shape and small square footage of the space were not conducive for a typical dog park. Unlike most dog parks that commonly function as large dog runs, this small triangular park will be utilized more for agility practice
and socialization of dogs (and their humans). Dogs will be challenged by the park agility course, which includes hurdles, weave poles, a tunnel, ramp and stepping pods- both which have been treated with a gritty seal.
It is also important to note that the surface of the play area consists entirely of decomposed granite as opposed to artificial turf or natural grass. Not only is the park drought tolerant, but we have greatly reduced the water usage in the area and graded the slope so that there is sufficient drainage from the flat area into the new plantings along the track line.
Claudia’s style inspiration was “Rustic Industrial meets Urban Philadelphia.” There is heavy duty hardware, thick slabs of honey colored wood, repurposed pipes and fittings as well as black accents surrounding the park. This attention to detail not only can hold up to a lot of wear and tear, but also contributes to a cool and modern vibe.
How did we pay for this?
We saved the best for last! This park has been entirely funded by developers through the City’s park impact fees! No City General Fund dollars were used. When a new residential development is built, a fee per unit is assessed to help pay for park and recreation area and amenities. This is the first of many new park improvements to be made throughout the City!
Park Information
Address: 1295 Main Street, Redwood City
Hours: sunrise to 10:30pm, year-round
Agility Course: hurdles, weave poles, tunnel, ramp and stepping pods
Grand Opening Celebration
Saturday, May 30, 2015
11:00am-1:30pm
(park open until 10:30pm)
Main Street Dog Agility Park, 1295 Main Street, Redwood City 94063
Ribbon Cutting ceremony at 11am
Dog Agility Demonstrations
Food Cart
Dog Community Group Booths
and a whole lot of FUN!
Parking is limited and dogs must be leashed during the opening ceremony and agility demonstrations.
WOOF!
Please take lots of photos of your pet enjoying our park and make sure to share them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Use the hashtag #MainStreetDogsRWC so we can enjoy them and share!
The park is beautiful, and so much fun!! Such a great addition to our community! Thank you all! Zoom Room Belmont Agility trainers will be on hand Saturday 5/30 between 12:00 noon-1pm to give agility demonstrations and to help people learn to train their dogs on the equipment. Come on down Saturday!
Fantastic idea!