Unanimous vote will see proposal advance to Council next month. Greenbelt and Valley Park are favored options.
The Hermosa Beach Parks & Rec Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend that City Council move forward with a dog park feasibility study, narrowing the focus to two preferred locations: the Greenbelt near City Hall and Valley Park East.
The commission also recommended that the city explore placing a ballot measure before voters this November that would amend the Greenbelt's 1989 founding ordinance — which mandates leashed dogs and restricts new structures — to allow for a designated off-leash area. Any such amendment would require a public vote under the terms of Proposition D, the 1988 ballot measure that established the Greenbelt.
Community group Bark for a Park, which has been driving the effort, has pledged to cover all pre-development costs including design, construction, and permits. The group reported $70,000 in donations and pledges to date, plus a $250,000 anonymous matching grant for donations of $100 or more — potentially putting roughly $500,000 toward construction.
Five locations were evaluated in a feasibility study: the Greenbelt, Valley Park East, Edith Rodaway Friendship Park, Bicentennial Park, and a stretch of beach between Herondo Street and 1st Street. Commissioners broadly rejected the beach option, and expressed reservations about Bicentennial Park given its proximity to residences. The commission asked that Valley Park East receive a more detailed ADA accessibility review before being ruled in or out.
The commission's recommendation goes to City Council on April 14. If council approves further study, a comprehensive report involving Public Works and possibly a consultant would follow. The city would need to act by approximately early August to place a Greenbelt measure on the November ballot.
Hermosa Review
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The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission voted Tuesday night to form an ad hoc pool subcommittee, on a tight mandate and a six-month clock. Neighboring cities' pool projects, and Hermosa Beach's own dog park campaign, tell us that the real work is all still to be done.
Tuesday night's City Council meeting had a bit of everything: a heartfelt tribute to one of Hermosa's most familiar civic voices, a long-simmering fight over vacation rentals that finally came to a head, and a feel-good update from a beloved local club celebrating its 90th year.
Facing a budget hole that could hit $4.2 million, Hermosa Beach is turning to the very thing it spent a decade banning: short-term rentals
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