Updated October 15, 2026
Last week we reported that Minnehaha's off-leash dog park is set to close to off-leash use on Dec. 21, and that no replacement had been chosen. That has now changed. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) updated its Minnehaha project page on Oct. 15, and it now names a likely replacement: Edward C. Solomon Park, a mostly wild 45-acre park off East 58th Street in far south Minneapolis. A community survey on the new dog park starts in November.
Solomon Park isn't a new idea. A fenced dog park there was drawn into a Park Board master plan a decade ago, with one big condition attached. We read the updated project page, the 2016 plan and the board's September records. Here's what's known, what isn't, and how to weigh in.
The short version
- Likely site: MPRB calls Solomon Park the "likely location" for a new off-leash area. The project page says this project "will move quickly so District 5 dog owners have a place to go after Minnehaha closes."
- November: Community engagement for the Solomon dog park begins "with a survey." Minnehaha permit holders also get an email in November about refund options.
- Dec. 21: Minnehaha's off-leash area closes to off-leash use. The land stays open for on-leash walking.
- Opening date: Not set. MPRB says so directly.
- Already planned: The Park Board's 2016 South Service Area Master Plan shows a fenced dog park at Solomon. It also says the dog park should go ahead only with a solid plan to keep runoff out of the Lake Nokomis watershed.
- Citywide: A separate citywide dog park search starts in 2027 or later.
Where Solomon Park is
Edward C. Solomon Park is at 1301 E. 58th St., in the Diamond Lake area of Park Board District 5, which is the same district as Minnehaha (MPRB park page). According to the 2016 plan, it runs about six and a half blocks east to west between 58th Street and Highway 62. It's a mix of rolling open lawn, woods and wetland around a small pond. Today its main formal amenity is an archery area. The Park Board's page also notes a bald eagle that has nested in the park.
The Nokomis-Minnesota River Regional Trail runs along the park's southern edge and connects north to Lake Nokomis, so some owners will be able to walk or bike in.
What the 2016 plan drew
Solomon's long-range design was approved on Sept. 28, 2016, as part of the South Service Area Master Plan, which covers neighborhood parks south of downtown and east of I-35W. MPRB's updated FAQ points back to it: "Space for a dog park at Solomon Park was approved in the 2016 South Service Area Park Plan."
The Solomon chapter of that plan describes the design this way:
- Location in the park: "Just east of the northern lot is a fenced dog park (off-leash recreation area). This amenity is centered on the main knoll." The northern lot is a small parking lot off 58th Street, which also serves a large open lawn and new picnic shelters.
- The condition: The plan says the dog park should be built only alongside "a robust plan to ensure runoff from the park does not affect the Lake Nokomis watershed. A buffer strip is shown on the plans, but the final solution should be based on further study." A note on the plan map marks a "filtration buffer and waste management" zone next to the dog park.
- The rest of the park: The plan keeps Solomon mostly natural. It adds walking loops and boardwalks, a short disc golf course at the east end, a second small lot near Bloomington Avenue and an archery course.
- Cost, then: The plan's cost table put the dog park at $156,059 in 2017 dollars. That is a decade-old planning estimate, not a current budget. MPRB hasn't published a budget for the new project.
Neighbors were split the first time
The plan's own engagement summary records the debate. Early input showed "mixed opinions on inclusion of formal dog park." At the concept stage, a "formal dog park [was] generally well received." But during the public comment period, the plan notes "significant concern about environmental impact of dog park." The final plan kept the dog park "with environmental considerations."
Expect the same questions to come back in November's survey. They include runoff, waste, parking on 58th Street, and how a dog park fits next to wetlands and an eagle's nest.
The airport owns part of the land
The plan also flags a land-ownership wrinkle. Solomon was put together through a 2004 land swap and long-term lease with the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). "A portion of the Solomon Park land is owned by the MAC and leased by MPRB," the plan says. "Any improvements will likely need to be approved by MAC." The public records we reviewed don't say whether the dog park's footprint sits on MAC-owned land.
What Solomon won't be
The thing Minnehaha regulars say they'll miss most is the river. Minnehaha's off-leash area runs down to the Mississippi. Solomon has a small pond and wetlands, but nothing in the 2016 plan describes water access for dogs. The plan instead talks about keeping runoff away from the Lake Nokomis watershed. Minnehaha's off-leash area covers more than six acres of woods and beach. The 2016 plan sketches a fenced area on one knoll at Solomon and gives no acreage, and MPRB hasn't published a size for the new design.
MPRB describes Solomon as the fast, District 5 answer, with the bigger questions left to the citywide process. Its FAQ says that process may recommend:
- expanding existing off-leash areas;
- building off-leash areas "already approved in park plans";
- adding new off-leash areas;
- adding new amenities, programming and partnerships.
It will include a Technical Advisory Committee and its own project page.
What's happening at Minnehaha in the meantime
- Still open off-leash until Monday, Dec. 21 (project page).
- Intermittent closures through Oct. 24 for Xcel Energy work, per the alert on the Minnehaha dog park page.
- Refunds: Permits stay valid at MPRB's eight other dog parks. Permit holders "whose only dog park is Minnehaha will receive an email in November explaining how to request a refund." The amount and method haven't been published.
- After Dec. 21: The staff plan filed with the board on Sept. 2 says the main gate and a small amount of fence will come out and standard "dogs must be on leash" signs go up. It also says Park Police "have no capacity to patrol the land parcel" (Sept. 2 board packet, pp. 150–155).
What you can do
- Take the November survey. MPRB says the Solomon project will get its own page. Until then, subscribe to email updates on the Minnehaha decommissioning page. MPRB says the Solomon project is "a good fit for people who used the Minnehaha dog park, live in or near District 5, or want a say in the design and amenities."
- Think about what you'd ask for: fencing height, a separate small-dog area, a water station, surface material, lighting, parking and waste stations. Those are the design details a survey can still shape.
- Speak at a board meeting. The full Park Board meets at 5 p.m. on Oct. 21, Nov. 4 and Nov. 18 at Mary Merrill MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road N. (meeting calendar and agendas).
- Check your permit email in November if Minnehaha is the only MPRB dog park you use.
Where to go now
Your MPRB off-leash permit works at all eight other city dog parks. They are Lake of the Isles, Lyndale Farmstead, St. Anthony Parkway, Franklin Terrace, Gateway, Loring Park, Victory Prairie and Dinky. If your dog needs a river, St. Paul's unfenced Meeker Island Dog Park is the closest match. Last week's piece has the full rundown of alternatives, and you can browse everything in our Twin Cities dog parks directory.
Tell us: Would you use a fenced dog park at Solomon Park? What should it have? Tell us here. We'll update this story when the survey and the Solomon project page go live.
Sources
- MPRB, Minnehaha Dog Park Decommissioning project page (updated Oct. 15, 2026): key dates, FAQ on Solomon Park, refunds and citywide search
- MPRB, Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park page (Xcel closure alert)
- MPRB, Edward C. Solomon Park page
- MPRB, South Service Area Master Plan (approved Sept. 28, 2016): planning framework and Solomon Park chapter (plan pp. 235–239 and cost estimate)
- MPRB Regular Meeting, Sept. 2, 2026: meeting record; "Process supporting the Superintendent's implementation of Resolution 2026-114" (board packet, pp. 150–155); Study Item D 2026-93 on the off-leash search
- MPRB, board meeting calendar
