NYCHA has opened its first dog park, and it’s serving as more than just a place for dogs to run free. It’s helping to bring together a neighborhood.
NYCHA residents provided input on dog park project
The park is located in Castle Hill, with two fenced-in sections completed with turf mounds, water fountains and 32 dog waste stations surrounding the outside space.
Vaidehi Mody, the senior planning consultant with NYCHA, said the project was made possible thanks to residential input and a host of partners.
The dog park project is part of the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF) Green Space Connections program, a $3.2 million initiative funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust that aims to create and activate open spaces at four NYCHA developments across the Bronx and Brooklyn.
NYCHA said over 800 residents voted on the direction of the project through hands-on workshops with community engagement experts from the Center for Justice Innovation and guided by landscape designers from Grain Collective.
“This was part of a participatory budget process where the residents chose what to put in their development,” said Jennette Salcedo, the Castle Hill Resident Association President.
Dog park offers pet owners a chance to make connections
Thanks to the park, going outside now looks a little different for Vance Fields and his 2-year-old Corso named Tiger.
“He’s very playful. He just loves having new friends. And as you can see, he just, he just wants to play,” Fields said. “Them building the dog park was actually a great way for me to actually train him with the other dogs in the community.”
An updated barbecue and picnic area, along with increased access to green space, was also part of the plan for residents.
Aside from serving as a place for dogs to make friends, the dog park is also a place for their owners to make connections.
The park will also provide access to valuable resources.
“Some people don’t have that luxury of having money to take their animal to the vet. So the ASPCA, bringing them out here every now and again so that the elders can get their pets, you know, worked on and stuff,” Salcedo said.
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