FMPC backs McFee Park dog park plans
Dog owners can expect to bring their pets to a new Town-operated dog park at McFee Park by spring 2026.
The Farragut Municipal Planning Commission recommended approval of design plans for the project during its meeting Thursday, Aug. 21.
Parks and Recreation director Ron Oestreich said the dog park is a 2023 Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant project for the west side of McFee Park, between its newest parking lot and the adaptive trail.
“Share this exciting information with your dog,” Oestreich said. “The project before you is a long-awaited project. It’s the third grant project awarded to the town through TDEC’s Local Parks and Recreation Fund.
“This project will be out to bid soon with a projected late spring or early summer 2026 completion date,” he said.
“Farragut citizens have been requesting a dog park for a very long time through citizen surveys, public meetings and verbal feedback,” Oestreich said. “Staff included the dog park and restroom as part of the 2023 LPRF grant through TDEC.
“The dog park is relatively simple in design. It’s fencing, a little pathway work and some grass,” he said.
Similar to other dog parks, McFee Dog Park will have two separate play areas — one for large dogs and one for small dogs — with Americans with Disabilities Act-rated pathways in each area. Each area will include play elements for dogs, as well as plenty of green space.
Oestreich said the pathways will be made of an aggregate material described as crushed stone with a hardening binder to create a solid surface.
“The reason for the separate play areas is to prevent potential conflicts and injuries,” he said. “Due to the hilly location, the small dog park has some retaining walls and a more winding path to meet ADA requirements. The large dog park has a longer path, a shade structure and benches at the bottom.
“From the parking lot, we’ll have a two-stall restroom facility designed much like the others in the park,” he said, noting that the restroom is a separate project scheduled for later in the fall.
“As people enter with their pets, we’ll have a transition area so the big dogs and the small dogs won’t mix,” Oestreich said. “Once past transition, the dogs will have free rein to wander and play.
“This is a non-lighted complex, so our evening hours will likely end at dusk,” he said. “Our landscape architect estimates the project could take four to six months to complete due to the excavation required. We are planning to be out to bid by early September, perhaps sooner, when we hear back from TDEC.”
