Winnetka dog-beach fencing plan faces opposition over shoreline access

Winnetka’s latest push to fence a dog beach at Centennial Beach ran straight into the same objection that has shadowed the project for months: whether a defined off-leash space would truly serve active dogs, or simply squeeze another layer of conflict onto a heavily used stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline.

The Winnetka Park District presented its newest fencing pitch on April 16, but the reaction was not uniformly positive. The plan centers on temporary fencing improvements at Centennial Park and Beach, including the Dog Beach area, with the district saying the goal is to align the project with zoning rules and community standards while protecting environmental, shoreline and public access interests. Centennial Dog Beach would stay on-leash until permits are approved and the fencing is installed, then the district aims to restore off-leash status.

What is at stake is more than a convenience upgrade for dog owners. For fast-moving dogs that need room to sprint, sniff and settle down, a fenced shoreline offers a defined boundary that can make off-leash time feel safer and easier to manage. But on a public beach, that same boundary can look like a loss of flexibility for everyone else, especially when residents raise concerns about crowding, noise, parking and whether the project narrows access to a shoreline that many people already use in different ways.

The proposal has been in motion for some time. District records say Centennial Park was established in 1969, shoreline repairs were made in 1987 and the off-leash Dog Beach formed in 1995. The dog-park idea resurfaced in December 2018 after a citizens group approached the Park Board, but its roots go back further, to a 2016 community needs assessment survey that ranked an off-leash dog park as a top-five investment priority and a number-two unmet need.

The current design has also drawn scrutiny over scale and permitting. A Feb. 5 district presentation said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources permit had been issued and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had issued a final determination supporting the project, while U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval and Cook County animal-control approval were still pending. The same presentation said a Feb. 23, 2023 board motion set the dog beach width at no more than 236 feet and no less than 200 feet, with fencing extending 15 feet into the water on each end and access gates at the north and south fence lines.

That has not satisfied critics. The Winnetka Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously recommended denial of the special-use permit request on March 16, citing possible hazards, the size and location of the fence, parking concerns and the piecemeal nature of the proposal. Earlier reports said residents objected to roughly 0.68 acres of fenced shoreline, disputed the district’s description of the lake extension, and noted that temporary fencing installed in winter 2023 was later removed because permitting approval was lacking. The controversy is also tied to a $3 million donation agreement with the Ishbia Family Foundation and to Justin Ishbia’s property south of the park, where a 68,000-square-foot mansion is planned.

After years of stops and starts, Winnetka’s dog-beach debate now sits at the intersection of exercise access, shoreline control and public trust, with the district still trying to build a design that can survive both the permit process and the politics around it.