Coronado Cays dog run gets new fencing, gates, and landscape upgrades

About 1,100 linear feet of 48-inch fencing began going up around the Coronado Cays Park dog run on April 27, a big change for one of Coronado’s few off-leash spaces. The city says the work is scheduled to run through June 30, and the park is expected to stay open and operational while the upgrades are underway.

The project goes beyond a simple fence line. City materials call for five single-swing gates and two double-swing gates, with work broken into phases that start with excavation, demolition, and irrigation adjustments before the fence and gate installation. Landscaping disturbed by the buildout is supposed to be restored, and the fence will align with a new mowing strip, a small detail that should matter once the space starts taking daily wear from dogs, handlers, and maintenance crews.

That kind of infrastructure matters in a run built for fast dogs and frequent use. A secure perimeter reduces escape risk, especially at arrival and exit times when dogs are amped up and owners are juggling leashes, cars, and gates. The irrigation work also matters because hard-running dogs tear up ground fast, and a dog run that turns dusty, muddy, or uneven stops feeling like a reliable place for off-leash exercise. Temporary closures are expected in some walkway, parking, and work zones, but the city says the dog area itself is part of a managed construction phase, not a shutdown.

The fence also closes a chapter that started last summer. In July 2025, the Coronado City Council voted unanimously to fence the Cays dog run after residents raised safety concerns, including reports that unleashed dogs had attacked children at the park. Matt Zagrodsky, a Coronado Cays Homeowners Association board member, was among the residents who pushed the issue after describing attacks involving his sons. The city’s April 2026 notice says the current work follows that July 2025 directive.

The dog run sits at 99 Grand Caribe Isle inside Coronado Cays Park, which the city describes as a 16-acre neighborhood park and the largest city-owned park. It is also one of only two city properties where dogs may be off leash, and dogs must stay leashed everywhere outside the designated run. That makes the fence more than a cosmetic upgrade. It is a safety fix for a heavily used corner of the park system, and it lands separately from the broader Cays Park master plan approved in 2024. When this work wraps in late June, the off-leash area should be easier to control, easier to maintain, and far less exposed to the problems that come with a popular dog run left open to chance.