On the heels of the news that off-leash dogs will no longer be allowed in Jamaica Plain's Beecher Street Park, District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley is requesting a meeting with state officials to begin identifying and building infrastructure for a dog park as part of the Southwest Corridor, which runs through the heart of JP adjacent to the MBTA tracks.
In the letter addressed to Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Leo Roy, O'Malley acknowledges that, while the Beecher Street Park was never officially sanctioned as a dog park, "patrons and neighbors seemed to coexist peacefully for most of the time." Unfortunately, he goes on, recent issues between users of the park and abutters led to the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's declaration Thursday that dogs in the park must be leashed at all times.
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A photo of District City Councilor Matt O\'Malley having \"impromptu office hours\" at Beecher Street Park when it was an off-leash dog area.
"I have long maintained that certain areas along the Southwest Corridor would be ideal locations for a dog park," O'Malley writes. "It is centrally located, removed from residential dwellings, and offers the necessary space to allow for exercise and socialization of pets. ... The closure of the Beecher Street Dog Park is an opportunity that demands action."
The full letter can be accessed below.
