Dark Park Coming to the Commons

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Dark Park Coming to the Commons?

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Next week, Destin Commons is hoping the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners approves a plan for what would be Destin’s first dog park.

At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the shopping center’s management will appear before the County Commission to request a change to the Destin Commons development order. The order originally required the Commons to acquire and donate the land and contribute financially for the construction of a new Destin park to be called Coleman L. Kelly Park. Instead, the Commons has requested permission to build a 1.65-acre linear park that stretches between Destin Commons and Choctawhatchee Bay.

The proposed linear park would also include Destin’s only dog park. Darin Grigg, general manager of Destin Commons, said the mall’s management didn’t see the practicality in building a conventional park since the Commons already has a playground and interactive water fountain.

“We thought this was a much more practical and innovative idea, and we really thought that it connects the pieces of a larger puzzle between Destin Commons, Destin Middle School, Turnberry Harbour and Regatta Bay,” he said. “It’s going to be a nice walking path, it’ll be wide enough to ride a golf cart and it will be safe, secure and just a pleasant place to be. We are really excited about this project.”

The dog park, Grigg said, could be called Coleman L. Kelly Park, though no decisions on naming the project have been made. The park would be 11,000 square feet with drinking facilities for both pets and their owners, a few parking spaces, a park bench and a fenced-in area to allow pets to play off-leash.

Grigg said the Commons would actually be going beyond the requirements of the development order by building and landscaping the park, though it will be maintained by the county.

Certain chunks of the park’s boardwalk have already been built and the next couple months will continue to see the park take shape, pending county approval, Grigg said.

The hearing will be held at the County Commission chambers on the third floor of the Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Administrative building in Fort Walton Beach.

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