By Amy Wenk
amywenk@reporternewspapers.net

For two years or more, Sandy Springs officials have looked for a good place for dogs to run without leashes.

The city has a temporary dog park at the end of Morgan Falls Road, but that property is “not real suitable for dogs,” Dist. 5 Councilman Tibby DeJulio told about 30 people at an April 29 meeting of the High Point Civic Association. The park is small, has little grass and offers little shade.

Now there is a new proposal on the table for a dog park, DeJulio said.

Georgia Power bought seven lots at the corner of High Point Road and Glenridge Drive in 1985 to build a substation, said DeJulio, who lives nearby off High Point Road.

But the power company never began that project.

About six months ago most of the houses were demolished. And recently Georgia Power asked the city of Sandy Springs about leasing one to two acres for a dog park.

“I jumped on it,” DeJulio said. “It is a gorgeous piece of property.”

There are no plans yet, he said. A proposal must be drafted for Georgia Power.

The park would sit closest to the corner of Glenridge Drive and High Point Road and would be accessed by Royervista Drive. A 30-space to 40-space parking lot would be built for park visitors.

“We feel we could do this whole project without removing a tree,” DeJulio said.

But some residents don’t see the dog park happening.

“This is pie in the sky,” said resident Henry Dan.

Others are worried the dog park could bring more traffic to the area.

Jeff Pine, who lives off Royervista Drive, said he was “very concerned about people parking on that street.”

Pine also was worried a dog park would decrease the house values of adjacent homeowners.

“We live in an urban area,” DeJulio said in response. “There is always going to be traffic. There are always going to be issues.”

DeJulio said the city is not looking to purchase property for a dog park. He said there is no other plan if the Georgia Power lease falls through.

“We are in a recession, as we all know,” DeJulio said. “We are trying to leverage other people’s money.”

If an agreement is reached with Georgia Power, a plan for the dog park will go before City Council for approval and public comment, DeJulio said.