Dog run coming soon in summer 2022
Quick details
- Location: East River Esplanade between 38th and 39th street
- Designs: By NYC Parks Department (COMING SOON)
- Status: Early phase: Design, communication and funding efforts
Current status of the project
- Design
- NYC Parks Department is surveying the site and working on the design
- Communication
- AllKB (Alliance for Kips Bay)
- Designing material: signs, banner, hand-outs
- Reaching out to our local agencies and elected officials
- AllKB (Alliance for Kips Bay)
- Funding efforts
- AllKB (Alliance for Kips Bay) is reaching out to our elected officials
- Donations via allkb.org/donate
How Can I Help?
Spread the word and Donate!
- Spread the word: Dog Run at East River Esplanade!
- Reach out to Council member Keith Power’s office, the site is in his district
- Visit his website at council.nyc.gov/keith-powers/
- Email your interests with his office KPowers@council.nyc.gov
- Reach out to Pat Hill – Community Liaison for Community Board 6 phill@council.nyc.gov
- Express your interests within the local community board 6
- Visit their website at cbsix.org
- Visit their Environment and Parks committe https://cbsix.org/committee/environment-parks
- Email your interests in the dog run to info@cbsix.org
- Visit their website at cbsix.org
- Express your interests with NYC Parks
- Visit the parks website at nycgovparks.org
- Express your support to Susan M. Donoghue, Commissioner Department of Parks & Recreation
- Write to NYC Parks at: The Arsenal, Central Park, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Express your interests by posting on twitter
- #ereDogRun (East River Esplanade Dog Run) @alliance_kips
- Tell your friends, neighbors, and businesses
- Reach out to Council member Keith Power’s office, the site is in his district
- Donate!
- Donate to Alliance for Kips Bay allkb.org/donate/
How does it benefit the community?
A dog run allows dogs to exercise and socialize safely.
- Dogs need room to run, and enclosed play areas permit them to do so while preventing them from endangering themselves and others
- Dogs who are accustomed to playing with other dogs and people are more likely to be well-socialized and react well towards strangers
It promotes responsible dog ownership and provides an outlet for dog owners to socialize.
- Dog parks prevents off-leash animals from infringing on the rights of other community residents and park users such as joggers, small children, and those who may be fearful of dogs
- Parks also make it easier for a city to enforce its leash laws, as resident dog owners with park access have no reason to allow their canine companions off-leash when outside of the park
Overall, it makes for a better community by promoting public health and safety
- Well-exercised dogs are better neighbors who are less likely to create a nuisance, park excessively, and destroy property
Why a dog run at the East River Esplanade?
The neighborhood has a growing dog population with limited space. First, a review over how many dogs in the area. All dogs living in NYC must have a license from the Department of Health. This map shows the density of dogs in our neighborhood (10016) and the surrounding zip codes (source: NYC OpenData).
Kips Bay (10016) has 5,351 licensed dogs, one of the densest population of dogs in midtown. It also has one of the least number public parks in Manhattan, let along dog runs. Let’s look at area with the number of dog runs
Kips Bay (10016) has no dog runs, you’ll note Kips Bay is below 10017 and above 10010. In fact, most of midtown is void of any dog parks, let alone 1.
The problem is location. An ideal area needs to be safe, an accessible location that takes into account the needs of park users as well as the effect the park will have on neighbors and the environment.
That’s where East River Esplanade comes in.
- East River Esplanade is a NYC Park, making it accessible for all
- The area is called New Wave Park and it is new and ready for features
- NYC Parks Department has tremendous experience with dog parks
- It is not near residential areas, that may affect noise or environmental concerns
- The site is on the other side of the FDR, which can help with noise concerns
- It’s close to existing parks and privately owned public spaces that has been used as “unofficial dog parks”
- Encourages dog owners to use the dog park instead of the public spaces
We’re looking for volunteers!
Creating a dog run will need all the support we can get! And we will need it in different phases of this project. Below is a high-level outline. Reach out to us and see where you can help out.
Early phase: Communication and Funding
- Join us by emailing allkb.nyc@gmail.com, we plan on having our next update soon
- Help post signs and provide hand-outs (COMING SOON)
- We will be posting the hand-outs and posted signs here on allkb.org soon
- Develop funding sources (IN PROGRESS)
Next phase: Go Live! (COMING LATER)
- Planning for the “Go Live” event
Last phase: Keep My Dog Run Clean (COMING MUCH LATER)
- Volunteers and upkeep
- Funding for tools and materials
References
- American Kennel Club
- Erika Mansourian’s article “Don’t Have Dog Park Yet? Start Your Own!”
- NYC OpenData
