Chula Vista has a new no-fence, off-leash dog park at Hilltop Park in the city’s northwest region.
Officials last week unveiled the latest addition to a list of nine other leash-free sites and the second to open without fenced boundaries. Memorial Park in the city’s downtown opened the first unfenced dog area in 2019.
Hilltop Park, a nearly 8-acre green space, is located between Hilltop Drive and First Avenue. It features a large playground, three gazebos, restrooms and a paved walking trail through the park. The 16,000-square-foot off-leash area is on the northern side of the park and is largely contained by landscaping that acts as its boundaries. It also has signage and pet waste disposal equipment.
Efforts to bring a leash-free site to the park started more than a year ago when the Hilltop Dog Friends community group requested the city look into allowing a no-fence site in the park. Last year, the Parks and Recreation Commission considered their proposal twice, but rejected it, citing concerns about safety, liability and losing a sports field to make room for the dog park. The final location was later decided to be adjacent to the sports field.
“Parks on the west side, as everyone knows, are hard to come by and therefore the impact of taking it away for an off-leash dog area could take away the ability for children to play,” Community Services Director Tracy Lamb told the City Council in September about the Commission’s concerns.
Councilmember Jose Preciado, whose District 2 includes Hilltop Park, said in September that he opposed the fence and that the city should make it clear that it is a leash-less park so that people can decide whether to stop by or visit another one, including Eucalyptus Park, which has a fenced area and is also within District 2.
“I think that we all can appreciate that there is a (substantial) dog culture in this community and we welcome everyone to enjoy our open spaces and public spaces,” he said then.
Chula Vista manages 65 parks and Lamb said the city is working on adding six more off-leash parks.
