In February, a group of dog owners wanted to partner with the Mill River Collaborative (the organization that oversees the park) to upgrade the dog park at Mill River, located next to where Alive@5 was held in 2021 (on Washington Boulevard between UCONN Stamford and Columbus Park).

It had been three years since the temporary space was designated as a dog park and since then, it has been heavily used by Stamford residents, predominantly those located in the immediate downtown area, to socialize and exercise their dogs as well as create a small community of owners and pups. 

The desire to upgrade was due to several reasons:
The state of the dog park:

• The dog park is very basic and after three years, looks very bleak. It has an overwhelming smell on warm days. It also has a massive puddle anytime it rains that remains there for days before drying up due to improper drainage. This has caused many residents to flock to one of the two dog parks at Harbor Point.
• Using gravel for the grounds. This not being an ideal flooring for play or for proper drainage. The gravel has also been mixed with pieces of recycled rubber which is a choking hazard and many dogs have managed to find them in the ground
• The flooring makes the park inaccessible for residents who have disabilities (such as a wheelchair) and are unable to enjoy the park due to improper flooring

Safety: The dog park has several glaringly dangerous issues that have yet to be resolved, even after the Mill River Collaborative had been informed. This includes:

• Broken benches with sharp edges that have cut or punctured dogs during play
• Benches with broken panels which have caused dogs to fall into the bench when on top
• Non-stationary “agility” tubes that pose a safety hazard when it is windy
• Dilapidated fencing around the park and entry/exit due to temporary fencing instead of study fencing properly installed into the ground

To have a space dedicated on the central grounds of Mill River Park that looks just as beautiful as the rest of the park. 

Upon reaching out to the Mill River Collaborative the first time, it was explained that the park was temporary but the intent is to build a new park (with a date unknown), perhaps in another space at the park.The Collaborative was interested in hearing suggestions on what upgrades should be made but no follow up occurred. There have been several attempts to connect with the staff at the Mill River Collaborative to have a conversation but as of yet, nothing has come to fruition.

A few days later, it was discovered that the Mill River Collaborative was planning on moving the dog park almost a mile away from its current location. The two proposed locations are:

1. Adjacent to the I-95 underpass on Greenwich Avenue between Richmond Hill and Exit 7 North (behind the RBS building) or,
2. A little further down adjacent to the Metro-North Railway, closer to Harbor Point.

The Mill River Collaborative states on their website that the purpose of the Mill River Dog Park is:

“To provide Stamford Downtown and Harbor Point residents with a safe, activated and well-maintained site to exercise their pups while connecting to the growing dog community. Dog parks can be a vital amenity for neighborhoods helping to curb pet waste and illegal off-leash dogs in unintended areas.”

Within a 0.7 mile radius of the current dog park, there are upwards of 5000+ residences, not including condominiums, multi-family housing, private housing, new builds, etc. The dog park has been heavily used by downtown and adjacent neighborhood residents in the three-plus years it has been located on the main grounds. 

Additionally, Harbor Point has two beautifully maintained dog parks for residents of the neighborhood to access while downtown residents and those nearby won’t enjoy the same use. Pet waste and illegal off-leash dogs will increase by moving the park almost a mile away instead of prioritizing accessibility for the areas that use it heavily.

The space was previously undeveloped and has yielded a beautiful result from its temporary usage. Residents enjoyed the benefit of a nearby dog park in the main grounds of Mill River.  Additionally, many visitors enjoy watching the dogs play at the park from outside the fence or bring their children nearby to observe or say hello! Stamford has seen a tremendous increase of transplants to our city, specifically in the downtown and neighboring areas, many of whom own dogs and enjoy the convenience of having a dog park within walking distance. The Harbor Point area has met the needs of the pet owners of that area by creating two dog parks. 

There is no reason to move a dog park halfway across town to an area that will be noise- congested (the interstate and train station), inaccessible due to distance and with limited parking for those who would have to drive instead of walking a few blocks to the current space. This is an unnecessary move that is not beneficial to downtown residents and is, in its very nature, going against the proposed purpose of a dog park as Mill River Collaborative states on their website.