Richmond canines may be heard howling with joy after city council's parks committee unanimously endorsed the expansion of three off-leash dog areas on Tuesday.
Off-leash areas in Garden City and South Arm parks, as well as a fenced off area at an empty lot on Elmbridge Way are set to roughly double in size after the parks department found mostly positive feedback from the public, according to a staff report to city council.
As well, the Garden City and South Arm areas, along with the McCallan-Railway corridor off-leash area, will become permanent dog parks, as they were previously pilot projects dating back to 2014.
The Elmbridge site, also a pilot project, will be assessed annually and its future will depend on development opportunities that arise, according to the report.
Permanent fencing and seating will be installed at all four aforementioned off-leash areas, bringing the official total number of such parks in the city to 11.
The report noted members of the public wanted the areas expanded.
Richmond has lagged behind neighbouring cities such as Burnaby, Vancouver and Surrey in providing space for dogs to roam and sniff freely.
The report notes there are just over 7,000 dog licenses in the city this year and as such there was greater demand for off-leash areas.
The city's goal is to have an off-leash area within walking distance - defined as 800 metres - of every home.
Over the summer bylaw officers ramped up enforcement of off-leash dogs in non-off-leash public spaces as the issue became contentious, particularly at popular venues.
While the changes have been endorsed by the committee they must still officially pass at the next city council meeting.
Richmond's Off-leash areas:
McDonald Beach
No. 3 Road south dyke
Woodwards Slough
Shell/Horseshoe Trail
City Centre lot (Elmbridge Way)
West Cambie lot
Hamilton lot
McCallan Park
Steveston Park
South Arm Park
Garden City Park
