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Dogs unleashed in Coffey Park

Dogs unleashed in Coffey Park
The Brooklyn Paper / Kristen Joy Watts

One park in Red Hook is going to the dogs — but some residents are growling.

A Community Board 6 committee has approved off-leash hours for man’s best friend in Coffey Park — despite some spirited opposition from regular park-goers who said that before canines are accommodated, humans should be given longer hours to enjoy the park and more areas for barbecuing.

“There were also some parents who worried the dogs could bite their child,” said Nica Lalli, chairwoman of the CB6 Parks Committee.

Mostly, though, a group of residents from the Red Hook Houses that abuts Coffey Park requested more barbecuing areas in the park and extended hours — ways that they, rather than the hounds, could enjoy the park.

Despite the heated objections, the committee’s vote on Oct. 15 is the first step towards Coffey Park, penned in by Dwight, Verona, King and Richards streets, allowing dogs off their leashes from 9 pm to closing and from 6 to 9 am. It would be the first off-leash zone in all of CB6, which stretches from Red Hook, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens through Park Slope, except for Prospect Park and a small dog run in DiMattina Park on Hicks and Woodhull streets.

“There aren’t any amenities for dog owners” in the neighborhood, said Amy Haimerl, head of the Red Hook Dog Association.

In a nod to the opposition, though, the parks committee also decided to formally ask the Parks Department to extend the park’s hours to 11 pm from 10 pm.

Community Board 6 will meet on Nov. 12 at 6:30 pm. The location is to be determined. Call (718) 643-3027 for more info.