Downtown dog park bounds ahead despite howls of protest right next door
'They're bulldozing this through,' says owner of apartment tower adjacent to proposed off-leash park
A plan to begin construction on Winnipeg's long-delayed downtown dog park later this summer has unleashed concerns from the owner of the highrise apartment building next door.
The city is looking for a construction contractor to build a 16,000-square-foot off-leash area at Bonnycastle Park — a green space on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, between the Midtown Bridge and The Forks.
In July 2016, Mayor Brian Bowman revealed that Bonnycastle Park will be the location for the downtown dog park he pledged to create during his campaign for mayor two years before.
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The park was supposed to open last fall, but construction was delayed due to objections from Crystal Developers, which owns 300 Assiniboine, a 25-storey apartment building located to the immediate west of the proposed dog park.
The city held off on construction to give officials a chance to speak to the building's owner, which expressed annoyance a main-floor picture window would now face onto the dog park.
The city has now issued a construction tender, which closes on July 13. Construction is expected to start in August and be complete in October, city spokesperson Kailey Barron said.
"The City of Winnipeg did meet with the owners of the apartment complex to hear their concerns," Barron said via email.
"As a result of that consultation, we increased and landscaped the buffer around the park and added a gate in order to address concerns raised by the apartment complex owners."
Concerns about barking, parking
Crystal, however, remains unsatisfied with the amended dog park design. Project manager Heidi Spletzer said the buffer the city intends to build is not far from the original edge of the dog park — and still contradicts the city's design instructions for the apartment tower.
Spletzer said the city instructed Crystal to place floor-to-ceiling windows on the east facade of the building's main floor, rather than a less expensive wall, facing Bonnycastle Park. Crystal was also instructed to remove shrubs at the edge of its property, she said.
Crystal intended to use the main floor of 300 Assiniboine as an event space, but that may no longer work when the floor-to-ceiling window faces a dog park, she added.
"We're still concerned about the location of the dog park, in that it's right beside an upscale building," she said, adding she remains concerned about noise from barking and the absence of nearby parking for dog owners.
"We don't see a lot of dogs in the area," Spletzer said. "We're wondering who these people are who will be using the park, that will be walking to the park. Who are these people, if there are no pet-friendly buildings within walking distance of the dog park?"
No communication from mayor, Crystal says
Spletzer also said she is concerned the city is "bulldozing this through" because a downtown dog park was a mayoral campaign priority.
"This was Brian Bowman's campaign promise. But from that moment they decided this was going to Bonnycastle Park, there was no talking to Brian Bowman about this, which was puzzling to us," Spletzer said.
"This is his baby. He needs to stand by it personally, but instead he sends his administration."
Bowman's office said they have no record of correspondence from Crystal that went unheeded.
"Great care was taken with the concerns raised by Crystal Properties and their concerns were immediately elevated to the office of the CAO," Bowman spokesperson Jeremy Davis said via email.
"In the following months, the CAO became personally involved to mitigate their concerns as best as possible and as a result, accommodations were made."
The city is proceeding with the dog park construction because it owns the land, city spokesperson Barron said.
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