No Dog Park at Ridgeview Park

We oppose the creation of a dog park at Ridgeview Park in Sandy Springs for one or more of the following reasons:

1. We are concerned about additional vehicle traffic on South Trimble Road, Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and surrounding areas that would be created by the dog park, especially given that these areas are already congested and that the park is located adjacent to Ridgeview Middle School and on a street with many young children, creating a safety hazard. (South Trimble Road is a dead-end street on which Ridgeview Park is located, and Peachtree-Dunwoody Road is an already heavily trafficked two-lane street that leads to South Trimble Road.)

2. We are concerned about the environmental impact of dog waste and additional human foot traffic at the park, especially in light of ongoing erosion, flooding and sewage issues at the park and the nearby waters (including Nancy Creek) to which a stream from Ridgeview Park leads.

3. The usable green space at Ridgeview Park (perhaps 4 acres of the 20-acre park) is inadequate for a dog park.

4. A dog park should not be located in an area directly abutting residences, especially because of the inevitable additional noise that would be created by a dog park. (South Trimble Road and its side streets contain approximately 150 single-family homes and a public school.)

5. A dog park should be located in an area only with ample nearby parking, which is not present at Ridgeview Park. (The single parking lot for Ridgeview Park has only 16 spaces.)

6. A dog park should not be located near a children's play area, as would inevitably be the case at Ridgeview Park.

7. A dog park in Sandy Springs should be located in an area that is more readily accessible to multifamily residences (apartments, condominiums and townhouses), which have small or no yards of their own, not in an area of single-family houses with large lots, many of which exceed 1 acre.

8. Creating a dog park at Ridgeview Park is contrary to the city's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which designates the area around Ridgeview as a "protected neighborhood" -- which, according to the city's own definition, means that "no uses other than detached, single-family residences and supporting institutional or recreational facilities serving the immediate neighborhood will be permitted."