Mabel Davis Park is among several Austin parks being considered as the site of a future dog park, a fenced area where dogs would be allowed to play off-leash.

As part of the planning process, the Austin Parks & Recreation Department is having a series of community input meetings to allow neighborhood residents and other stakeholders to communicate with city officials. The first was held June 27 at Linder Elementary, and the next will be in early November. See a city news release about the meeting here.

Dog park meeting
6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7
Tim Cheathem Building, 4411-A Meinardus Lane
East of I-35, near the intersection with East St. Elmo Road.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but want to give feedback, contact the project coordinator, D’Anne Williams, at MabelDavisParkOffLeashArea@ci.austin.tx.us.

In a story that ran in the Austin American-Statesman in April, city officials said that contenders for new dog parks include Mabel Davis Park, Bartholomew District Park in Northeast Austin, Guerrero Colorado River Park in Southeast Austin, Allen Park in Northwest Austin and Yett Creek Park in Northwest Austin.

One group with a lot of input in this process is the Off-Leash Area Advisory Committee, or OLAAC, a panel of community volunteers that meets the second Wednesday of each  month at City Hall. The group advocates ‘public and sustainable recreation for off-leash dogs and their humans, through partnerships and volunteers, education, fund-raising, identifying prospective OLA sites and providing Austin Parks and Recreation Department with advice and counsel on new and existing OLAs.’ Keeping up with their meetings is a good way to learn about the possible future of dog parks in Austin. See agendas and minutes from past meetings here.

The city had considered closing the dog park at Norwood Park, at Riverside Drive and I-35, but KVUE reported on Oct. 12 that the city will keep that dog park open and will finally restore the historic Norwood House nearby. Learn more about the Norwood dog park from the Austin Parks Foundation. And find out about the city’s feasibility study on the restoration of the Norwood House, once part of a beautiful estate built in 1922.

The Norwood Estate was built in 1922 on a bluff near Travis Heights overlooking the Colorado River and downtown Austin. It was the home of O.O. Norwood, the developer behind historic Norwood Tower, once the tallest building in Austin. (Austin History Center photo.)

The Norwood House as it appears now. (Downtownaustinblog.com photo)