We love the Columbia Heights Dog Park, but we know it isn't pretty. In fact, it needs a lot of work. That is why we formed 11th & Bark—we want to make the park better.
We would also like to make major improvements to the park—and the District will soon do that. In the meantime, we are continuing to hold our quarterly dog park cleanup-days and make small improvements like donating benches, adding trees, removing vines, and adding mesh to the gates to ensure small dogs can’t escape. (Keep an eye out for upcoming cleanup days.)
The District has put money in the budget to fund improvements. In late-2023, after years of our advocacy, the District signed a 10-year lease with WMATA that will allow the park to become an official DC dog park and allow the District to upgrade the space. The dog park application is formally moving along, and in March the application was noticed in DC Register for public comment. In addition, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is now working with the Department of General Services (DGS) to identify and procure a contractor for this project. Once that happens, DPR will begin the formal community engagement process for the project.
A rendering of what the park could look like by Gronning Architects
