Park Application

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Dog Park Progess Update

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The Columbia Heights Dog Park sits on property owned by WMATA, which allowed us to use the space for our dog park since 2009.  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 now formally moving along, and in March the application was noticed in DC Register for public comment. 11th & Bark submitted a letter of support for the dog park.

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. 

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The Dog Park Application Has Been Submitted!

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We submitted the dog park application today! Thanks so much to everyone in the community for their amazing support for the park.

The submitted application includes:

  • More than 500 signatures and more than 60 statements of support from people in the community. 

  • Letters of support from eleven local businesses, nine of which are on 11th Street and within a block or a few blocks of the park, and three local nonprofit organizations.

    • Businesses: Queen’s English, Red Rocks, The Coupe, El Chucho, Odd Provisions, Wonderland, Ossobuco, Makan, Patrick’s Petcare, District Dogs, Leslie Knows Homes (realtor)

    • Nonprofits: Community Wellness Alliance, District Bridges, GreenSpaces for DC

  • A letter of support from the ANC1A


To gain this support from the community, we did a lot of community outreach, including:

  • We distributed approximately 500 flyers to the homes surrounding the park, providing them with information about the park application; 

  • We attended the Columbia Heights Farmers Market to inform people about the park application and to collect signatures; 

  • We reached out to large apartment buildings, condo buildings, and a senior home in the area to ask their buildings managers to share information about the park application with their residents. These include Victory Heights, Monroe Tower, Columbia Heights Square, Kenyon Square Condominiums Arcade Sunshine, Park Place, Park Triangle, Highland Park, and 1020 Monroe St NW Condos;

  • We held happy hours at Midlands and Hook Hall to inform people about the park application and collect signatures;

  • We took several 2-hour shifts at the dog park to inform people about the park application and collect signatures; 

  • We attended Open Streets and spoke to people in attendance there; and

  • We provided information on our website and shared information on our email listserv and on our social media platforms--FaceBook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

What happens next? The application will be published in the DC Register and there will be a 30-day period for public comment. DPR will then review the application and the comments and will issue a recommendation. There is no time limit on them. But After DPR issues a recommendation, it must notify us within 30 days. 

We will let you know when we hear from the District.


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ANC 1A Unanimously Passed Resolution Supporting the Park

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Last night the ANC 1A passed a resolution that both supported our dog park application and supported 11th and Bark being an official “Friends of”group for the park. This resolution required for our “Friends of” application and our dog park application.

New ANC Commissioner, Brandolon Barnett sponsored the resolution. After a few questions from the commissioners and a short presentation from the Chair of 11th & Bark, Commissioner Barnett moved to pass the resolution and Commissioner Dottie Wade Love seconded the motion. The motion was then passed unanimously.

We are so grateful to Commisioner Barnett for supporting both the park and 11th & Bark. And we are pleased that the first resolution he passed as a Commissioner was related to our park.

We are now one step closer to becoming an offical District Dog Park.

Submit a Statement in Support of the Park

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Thanks to the nearly 400 of you who added your signature to support making the Columbia Heights dog park an official District dog park! We are on the way to submitting a successful application. But before we do, there is one more way you can help--you can submit a statement of support for the park. Please fill out this form and tell us why you support making the dog park official and we will submit it as part of the dog park application.

If you haven't had the chance to sign the application, there is still time for that too. Look for us at the Columbia Heights Farmer's Market this weekend (14th and Park Rd) from 9-11.

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Hook Hall Yappy Hour Was a Big Success

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On August 17, we joined Hook Hall and District Dogs for an amazing Yappy Hour. District Dogs had a dog painting station, Kamaji Company sold treats and other pet supplies, and we collected nearly 70 signatures of support. Keep an eye out for more signature events.

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Sign the Dog Park Application

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The next step in making this park an official DC dog park is submitting a dog park application. We need your signatures to show that the community supports the park.

We’ll be at the park collecting signatures on the following days:

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  • Friday, July 23, 5:30PM-7:30PM

  • Saturday, July 24, 11:00AM-1:00PM and 3:00PM-5:00PM

  • Sunday, July 25, 11:00AM-1:00PM and 3:00PM-5:00PM

  • Wednesday, July 28, 8:30AM-9:30AM

  • Thursday, July 29, 8:30AM-9:30AM

If you want to read more about the dog park application process, click here.