Whether a lot meant for townhouses will now be the bastion of dogs was tabled, and the Topeka City Council voted to hear public opinion on raising sales tax at a soon-to-open downtown hotel.
The council tackled those issues during its regular meeting Tuesday.
Owners of the College Hill Apartments would like to turn a vacant lot into a dog park for its residents.
That plan passed the Topeka Planning Commission 6-2 in June, but council members unanimously voted Tuesday to table approval of the item until next week while staff members answer critical questions about the half-acre parcel.
In a passionate rebuke of the bark park, deputy mayor Brendan Jensen said the city promised to use the land for housing when it was seized through eminent domain. However, it was unclear whether the city actually took that section of land from private owners.
Jensen, who represents the College Hill neighborhood, said the bark park wasn’t appropriate for the area.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)