Menlo Park commission: No off-leash hours at Sharon Heights, Lyle parks Menlo Park commission: No off-leash hours at Sharon Heights, Lyle parks (November 03, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

Narrowing down the list of city parks where off-leash dog activity could be allowed, Menlo Park's Parks and Recreation Commission is recommending removing Sharon, Stanford Hills and Lyle parks from consideration.

Instead, the commission decided October 20 to recommend having off-leash hours at Nealon and Willow Oaks parks. Commissioners also opted to study the situation at Burgess Park in the Civic Center further before deciding whether to push for hours there.

The recommendation goes to the City Council, which makes the decision on off-leash hours. The council is scheduled to take up the matter on Tuesday, November 9.

With dog owners clamoring for a place to let their canines run free, and parents worried about the safety of their children around untethered dogs, the issue has heated up in recent weeks. Other residents have voiced concerns about barking noise and mess.

Commission chair Richard Cline said the opposition to off-leash hours is running notably high in Sharon Heights, which made the vote on Sharon and Stanford Hills parks easier. Sharon Park is at Sharon Park and Monte Rosa drives; Stanford Hills is located at Sand Hill Road at Branner Drive.

"I didn't hear even one person at our meeting come up and say they wanted it," Mr. Cline said. "There may have been one e-mail in support, but nobody came out."

Held in the City Council chambers, the meeting ran about three-and-a-half hours, with at least 40 residents in attendance, Mr. Cline said.

According to the recommendations, off-leash areas would be created differently, depending on the park. The area at Nealon Park at 800 Middle Ave. would be on grass inside the fenced softball field. A divided commission voted 4-3 to have an unfenced area at Willow Oaks at Willow Road and Coleman Avenue, Mr. Cline said. Some commissioners wanted to make sure the dog-park area would also be available for other activities, he said.

The commission recommended against Lyle Park because it is so near Nealon, at Middle Avenue and Fremont Street, and commissioners wanted to spread out the off-leash areas, he added.

The commission meeting came after a task force of residents held four public meetings to gauge the community's views on off-leash hours. The task force ruled out several parks early on, including Fremont and Bayfront, because of factors such as size and location.

Off-leash hours were permitted at Nealon Park on a trial basis from February 2003 through May 2004, but they drew mixed reviews from neighbors, and the task force was created.

After the October 20 meeting, e-mails from residents continued to pour in to the council on the matter.

"I would never let my dog off leash near children or strangers at a park," one resident wrote. "It would open the city to a lawsuit if anyone were injured by such a dog."

Another wrote: "Change is hard for people but my experience with the dog owners of Menlo Park has been that they are courteous and have friendly dogs. Anyone with an unfriendly dog would not be going to a dog park."

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