SACRAMENTO, Calif — The future of an off-leash dog park in Sacramento continues to divide a neighborhood.
On Wednesday, neighbors were invited by the city to vote on various concept plans for proposed dog parks that could replace the one now located at the Sierra 2 Green in Curtis Park.
Some dog owners want the park back the way it was, as a mixed-use space with soccer fields that is also available to dogs and children. Others worry it's too crowded, and the dogs roam free too close to where children play.
People like Angela Lopes say the place gave them a sense of community.
"When you’re older, and your disabled, and you’re low income, you don’t have a lot of options for community," said Lopes.
Lopes and her dog Lula now find themselves in the middle of a months-long fight over the future of the park.
The debate moved to a new phase this summer, with the city holding a vote on eight different concept plans.
"It was frustrating for me, because I didn't see any of the options I wanted there," said Lopes.
Kirsten Smith is also frustrated. She and a group of neighbors formed a group called "Common Ground."
"We have people in the neighborhood that say, 'I don’t even care what happens. I just want everybody to stop fighting,'" Smith said, adding she believes mixed-use is the answer.
Smith and Lopes would like to see a return to the policy in which dogs are allowed off-leash during certain hours.
"We believe it can work. It worked for decades; it can work again," Smith said.
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