City panel debates park site

Strickland tract's character at issue

RALEIGH -- The future of Raleigh's park off Strickland Road could rest in the hands of the three members of the City Council's Public Works Committee.

The council agreed last week to let the committee discuss how the 37 acres should be developed. The land sits north of Strickland Road between Leesville and Ray roads.

Its neighbors have intensely debated whether the wooded property should include a dog park and sports field. The committee is scheduled to discuss the park at 8 a.m. Thursday in the City Council chambers at 222 W. Hargett St. in downtown Raleigh.

The committee ultimately will make a recommendation to the full council, which then will make the final decision.

"Obviously, there is a lot of interest in a dog park," council member Russ Stephenson said at last week's meeting. He is chairman of the committee.

The question, Stephenson said, is whether Strickland Road Park is the right place for a dog park. The property was a rural retreat for a Raleigh lawyer for decades before his son sold it to the city.

For months, dozens of residents have attended city meetings to draft a plan for the park. In response to concerns from neighbors, city park planners in July replaced a proposed lighted Little League ball field with an open-play field.

Some neighbors have formed a group pushing for a more natural park, with little more than walking trails, picnic areas, play space for kids and a field for pickup games.

But others have lobbied for more active pursuits at the park, especially the dog park. In May 2007, the council decided against including a dog park in plans for nearby Leesville Community Park because of neighborhood concerns about noise, smell and the safety of having an off-leash area about 125 feet from their backyards.

The council encouraged off-leash dog areas in future parks in northwest Raleigh, which is where the Strickland Road property sits.

Last month, the city's Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board unanimously recommended the city park staff's proposal, including the dog park. It suggested moving a dog park fence 20 feet farther from neighbors.

Much of the discussion at the committee table Thursday likely will center around the dog park.

Stephenson said he'd like to look at other city-owned land in the area, including a more remote area at the Leesville Road site.

"Maybe we don't have to bundle these dog park facilities with other park facilities," Stephenson said in an interview last week. "Maybe it's better if it's conceived again as stand-alone. I think we'll look at all of those and get staff new thinking on the best way to incorporate these off-leash park facilities in a way that doesn't create these other conflicts."