Westlake resident upset about dog park

City sued over alleged nuisance



ANIMAL LOVERS—Dog owners enter the Westlake Village Dog Park on opening day in July 2018. While the park has been mostly well received, one owner complained about disruption and took his case to court. Acorn file photo

ANIMAL LOVERS—Dog owners enter the Westlake Village Dog Park on opening day in July 2018. While the park has been mostly well received, one owner complained about disruption and took his case to court. Acorn file photo

A resident has filed a lawsuit against Westlake Village over claims that the city’s dog park has negatively impacted his property that lies next to the facility.

John Bowen, a 30-year resident of the city, is seeking $2 million in damages because, he says, the dog park has hurt the quality of his home life and the value of his property on Saddlecrest Lane near the 1.2-acre dog park on Oak Crest Drive.

Bowen and his lawyer both declined to comment on the lawsuit. The document states that from the time the park opened in July 2018, the tranquility of Bowen’s home was ruined.

Shortly after the park opened, Bowen contacted Assistant City Manager Audrey Brown about the noise.

“This is unacceptable, just as I told you it would be when I told you I didn’t want that park there, that at best it would negatively affect my property values,” Bowen wrote. “Now I know I cannot live with this. This is a problem the city caused. This a problem the city must fix. . . . I no longer have the quiet enjoyment of my property, a house I physically built myself. I can no longer use my yard. I can no longer open my windows.”

Bowen filed a claim against the city prior to his lawsuit. Staff addressed his initial concerns about the noise by posting signs in the park asking dog owners to keep their barking pets away from the wall near his property.

As part of a deal with the city, Bowen was given a 5,000-square-foot easement on the open space between his property and the dog park, which he landscaped and fenced. That permit can be revoked, however.

Westlake Village City Manager Rob de Geus said he couldn’t comment on the case.

The dog park cost $1 million to construct, and the project was open for public input. Bowen’s lawsuit states he objected to the park in 2016 when the city first asked for his input as a nearby resident.

The suit also alleges that Bowen’s complaints were not taken seriously by members of the City Council or city staff and were a “source of irritation, condescension and even ridicule.”

City Councilmember Brad Halpern said he can’t comment on pending litigation, but that he’d had “several conversations with Mr. Bowen (regarding the dog park) and met with him on his property.”

In June the council voted to extend the dog park’s hours from 7 a.m. to sunset year-round. The park’s hours were previously 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to May and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June through September.

Follow Ian Bradley on Twitter @Ian_ reports.