When Midtown welcomed its new street clock in March, the Detroit News referred to its location—an empty lot at Cass and Canfield—as a "future dog park." But the trail ended there, and we were unable to coax any details out of Midtown Detroit Inc (MDI). HOWEVER:
Because the lot is inside the Willis-Selden Historic district, the plan needed approval at last night's Historic District Commission meeting. As if we had anything better to do a Wednesday night. All the doggy details are ahead.
The HDC ended up approving the puppy park, which is expected to begin construction alongside the green alley development later this month. Based on MDI president Sue Mosey's presentation, here's what to expect:
➤ A 4'-tall wrought iron fence around the lot's perimeter, set back 4' from the road. A thick hedge will also be planted. Small dogs will be getting their own enclosure within the fence.
➤ The front gate will be on Cass Ave, right near the street clock.
➤ Several of the existing trees will be cut down, though it's not clear why. They might be some sort of Locust tree, which produce toxic seed pods that Fido should not be be munching. They'll be replaced with five Birch trees.
➤ Amenities: Benches, trashcans, and a "doggie water fountain."
Here's the kicker: the park isn't permanent. In her presentation to the HDC commissioners, Mosey explained that a permanent dog park will eventually happen somewhere on 2nd Avenue, but that's a few years off. To pacify today's pooches, MDI signed a 3-year lease (with a possible 2-year extension) for the Cass/Canfield lot. According to Mosey, the property owner actually plans on building something there in the future.
Mosey didn't specify where on 2nd Avenue the permanent dog park would be. A likely candidate is Redmond Plaza, a small park on the corner of Selden and Cass, just next to the future location of Selden Standard. ↓
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