HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – A park within Hermann Park is going to the dogs as part of a new master plan by Hermann Park Conservancy and Houston Parks and Recreation Department, with landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.
Project officials — and several canine “ambassadors” – broke ground Tuesday on the new McWilliams Dog Park, a $2 million project. The 1.5-acre dog park sits on 2.5 acres bordered by Brays Bayou and South MacGregor Drive.
Having a dedicated dog park at Hermann Park was the most requested new feature in the master plan user studies conducted in 2016 by the Conservancy and Rice University.
Lauren Griffith Associates, the same landscape firm that renovated Hermann Park’s trail system in 2011, designed the new dog park. In addition to making dogs and their owners happy, the repurposed site will increase access to Hermann Park and improve the flow and connections between existing public spaces. The dog park is adjacent to the Brays Bayou Greenways Trail.
For Those Who Bark – Leash-Free Place on 1.5 Acres in Hermann
Highlights of the off-leash dog park include one of the largest interactive water features in the city, canine agility courses and natural shade, with a rain garden and native plantings. The site is adjacent to existing parking.
The McWilliams Dog Park is the first step in implementing Hermann Park’s 20-year master plan, which is a public-private partnership of the City of Houston and the Conservancy. HPARD is providing $896,000 in public funding for the dog park project’s lighting and waster services.
Construction is estimated for completion this winter, project materials note.
Feb. 23, 2022 Realty News Report Copyright 2022.
Image: credit Hermann Park Conservancy
Image: Rendering: Lauren Griffith Associates
Realty News Report’s Exclusive Archive Insights: RNR’s Q&A with landscape architect James D. Burnett. Burnett is a winner of the American Society of Landscape Architects Design Medal for his career-long body of work.
File. Hermann Park. For those who bark