More than 50 people gathered Thursday to address concerns and seek consensus on locating a proposed off-leash dog park in Highland Park.

After two hours of discussion, the members of Old Southwest Inc. reached an agreement -- and voted to have another, more widely publicized forum at Highland Park Learning Center to gather even more input on the issue.

At the request of several speakers, all neighborhood residents will be notified of the forum by taxpayer-funded direct mail, according to Roanoke Parks and Recreation Director Steve Buschor. The city will also pay for ads and announcements to notify Roanokers in other neighborhoods.

NewVa Connects, a young professionals networking and advocacy group, has since last year been seeking a site to place a fenced, public dog park and has already raised $12,000 for the project. It initially considered Fishburn Park, but the site fell through earlier this month.

The proposed Highland Park site is located just west of the park's stage. It's near a parking lot and can't easily be seen from any of the neighborhood streets. Buschor said the park is already used heavily by dog owners.

Earlier this month, the city's Architectural Review Board approved a request to use black vinyl chain-link fence for the park. However, it declined to rule on the requested location after several neighborhood residents expressed concern about potential noise, smell and the impact on a nearby sledding hill.

Thursday's meeting was largely aimed at addressing those concerns. Josh Shields, the treasurer of Old Southwest Inc., delivered an extensive presentation that discussed each concern and offered rebuttals to each. He said the park would require that all animals be vaccinated and supervised by adults.

He said the increased use in that corner of Highland Park would help reduce crime -- particularly drugs, litter, graffiti and solicitation of sex.

Neither sledding nor use of the park's stage, Shields said, would be dramatically affected by the park. And he argued that a dog park would not affect the neighborhood's historic status.

"Just because it's a dog park doesn't mean it can't fit into a historic district," Shields said. "My dog loves my historic home, too."

But Old Southwest resident Marwood Larson-Harris said he wanted a more thorough process.

"This is going to be the most significant modification to Highland Park since the 1970s," he said.

ARB member Bill Bestpitch suggested another site across the street from the stage and next to the park's tennis courts.

Seth Marlow said his fellow neighborhood residents should remember "this is a city issue, not an Old Southwest issue."

On the Net: www.roanokedogpark.com