Mueller Dog Park FAQs
What is the Mueller Dog Park Coalition?
The City of Austin has many public dog parks, but none of them are in East Austin. Residents’ requests for a dog park east of I-35 have gone unanswered for years. The Mueller Dog Park Coalition is a grassroots initiative whose members want a dog park in the neighborhood to serve dogs and their owners who live in Mueller and adjacent neighborhoods.
Who can join the coalition?
Anyone is welcome to join the coalition and help encourage city and community leaders to develop a Mueller dog park.
Why does Mueller need a dog park?
Nearly 15,000 people now live in Mueller. Hundreds of people walk, jog and bike with their dogs in Mueller daily. But Mueller lacks a safe space for dogs and owners to socialize, exercise and play. As Mueller’s population has grown, conflicts between dogs and people have increased. Dog owners have nowhere to go in the neighborhood to allow their dogs off-leash.
Doesn’t Mueller already have a dog park?
Mueller has a very small fenced dog area at Branch Park Pavilion, but it is not a dog park. The space doesn’t meet the 10,000-square-foot minimum required for city dog parks and lacks proper groundcover, such as mulch, for cleanliness, odor management, drainage and erosion control. It also lacks separate areas for small and large dogs, which is an important safety consideration.
Why is this issue coming up now?
East Austinites, including residents of Mueller, Windsor Park and Cherrywood, have requested a dog park for years. Now is the right time for this discussion for many reasons.
Mueller’s final major residential development is nearly done and has filled in vast open fields and trails where people could exercise their dogs away from residential areas.
The City of Austin designated three Mueller greenways as public parks in 2024, making them eligible for city park projects and programs including a public dog park.
The Austin Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) has offered to fund a six-month pilot project for an off-leash dog park in the Southeast Greenway at Mueller, and to install a permanent dog park if the pilot is a success.
Mueller was developed under six guiding principles: fiscal responsibility, economic development, East Austin revitalization, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, diversity and affordability, and sustainability. The proposed dog park pilot project fulfills all of these goals just as Mueller is nearing completion.
Why the Mueller Southeast Greenway?
Mueller developer Catellus, Austin PARD and Mueller residents have identified the field in the city-owned Mueller Southeast Greenway as the ideal location for a dog park due to many desirable features. Click to see map.
The proposed field is a flat, wide, open space with plenty of room for dogs to run and play and enough space for separate small and large dog areas.
Public amenities include a parking lot, street parking, public restrooms and water.
Austin Watershed has indicated the field is suitable for a dog park.
A majority of Mueller residents live within walking distance using park trails and sidewalks.
The field is at the far east edge of the neighborhood and below street level, with a grassy embankment as a natural barrier between it and sidewalks and streets.
The field is barely visible from the street and could easily be landscaped with attractive fencing and vegetation compatible with the surrounding green space.
Because the need for a dog park is so great, people are already using the field daily as an informal dog park. Without a fence, this creates potential safety hazards for people, cars and dogs.
Who must approve the pilot dog park project?
A maintenance agreement between the Mueller Property Owners Association (POA) and the City of Austin requires support from both parties before a park improvement project can be approved in the greenways. The Mueller POA represents Mueller property owners who account for about half of Mueller’s population. The Austin City Council represents apartment dwellers, who make up the other 50% of Mueller residents, as well as residents of adjoining neighborhoods such as Windsor Park and Cherrywood.
How would a dog park be funded?
Austin PARD has offered to fund a six-month pilot project for an off-leash dog park in the Southeast Greenway at Mueller. The Mueller POA already maintains the park and would incur little or no extra cost. If the pilot project is a success, Austin PARD would install Mueller-compatible fencing, water stations and dog waste stations. The Mueller POA would continue to maintain the park, including landscaping, mowing and mulch. Optional amenities like shade structures, benches and chairs could be funded by the city, the POA, or a combination of public and private donations.
Has there been a public input process?
Not yet. In August 2024, Catellus and Associa, the Mueller POA’s management company, sent an email informing four homeowners across the street about the proposed dog pilot project and asking for comments. However, they did not inform or seek input from other residents of Mueller and adjoining neighborhoods. At the November 2024 annual meeting, Catellus and Associa announced that a Mueller dog park workgroup would be appointed but did not provide details or a timeline. A pilot dog park project is a critical first step in gathering public input and identifying valid concerns and ways to mitigate them.
Are any other Mueller sites being considered?
The city-owned Mueller Northwest Greenway has been suggested as an alternate location. Click to see map.
There are many issues with this site compared to the Southeast Greenway location:
Beyond a reasonable walking distance for most Mueller residents.
No public amenities such as a parking lot and restrooms.
The only water fountain reportedly has never worked.
Much narrower area that limits the play area and potentially increases installation and maintenance costs.
No barrier between the greenway and heavy traffic on the I-35 access road.
Excessive noise and pollution from the I-35 expansion project will discourage use of the greenway for years to come.
Dog Park Pilot Project Milestones
In March 2024, a Mueller resident began meeting with Austin elected officials and city staff, community leaders and residents to talk about the need for a Mueller dog park to serve East Austin.
1/18/24 Austin City Council designates 3 Mueller greenways as public park lands.
3/25/24 Mueller resident meets with Catellus staff.
3/29/24 Mueller resident meets with Austin City Council District 9 staff.
4/24/24 Mueller resident and city council staff meet with Austin Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) staff.
5/28/24 Catellus, PARD and Mueller resident visit potential dog park sites at Mueller and identify the Southeast Greenway as a preferred location.
6/5/24 PARD proposes funding a six-month dog park pilot project at the Southeast Greenway.
6/14/24 Catellus, PARD and Mueller resident discuss pilot program, DOLA guidelines, a public input process and next steps.
7/3/24 Austin PARD confirms with Austin Watershed Protection that the Southeast Greenway is suitable for a dog park.
8/6/24 Associa, Mueller’s property management company, emails a letter to four Mueller homeowners who live across the street from the Southeast Greenway about the proposed project. No one else in Mueller is notified.
10/3/24 Mueller resident and a homeowner who received the email letter are invited to address Mueller’s advisory Landscape Committee about the proposed pilot project. City staff are not invited.
10/8/24 Mueller resident informs Austin City Council’s Mueller advisory committee about the dog park pilot project proposal.
11/16/24 Catellus and Associa announce plans to appoint a dog park workgroup, with details and timeline to be determined in 2025. Austin PARD will be invited to participate.
1/5/25 The Mueller Dog Park Coalition is formed and launches a website and survey, notifies stakeholders, and invites residents of Mueller and adjoining neighborhoods to join.