Collins Park

Collins Park is a Mecklenburg County neighborhood park in Colonial Village, between Woodlawn Road and South Boulevard. Three and two-thirds acres, by the county’s own boundary file. The county’s rules are the park’s rules, and two of them narrow the ground a dog can use.

Section 26 of the Parks & Recreation Facilities Ordinance is the permission: “It shall be unlawful to have pets in the areas of County parks where pets are expressly prohibited.” Everywhere else on the grounds, dogs are allowed. Leashed. Park and Recreation’s posted rules put a number on it, six feet or shorter, and the county animal ordinance requires physical restraint anywhere off your own property.

The same posted rules state that pets are not allowed in playgrounds or athletic field areas. On 3.67 acres, those exclusions cover a lot. The county’s record for Collins lists a playground with swings, a tennis court, a multipurpose field, a picnic shelter, and outdoor fitness equipment. That leaves the walking path, the shelter, and the grass between them.

Then parking. The county’s park record puts the number of spaces at zero. No lot. The park is bounded by Collingwood Drive and Applegate Road, both residential streets, and that is where cars end up.

No restrooms. The record also marks the park as not ADA compliant, and lists hours as “Daylight,” seven days a week.

Three addresses point at the same four acres. The county’s GIS record says 4525 Collingwood Drive, the county’s project page says 4524 Collingwood, and OpenStreetMap and the review sites say 4500 Applegate Road. The park runs between the two streets.

Off-leash is not legal here. County dog parks are the only off-leash ground in Mecklenburg County, and this isn’t one. Little Sugar Creek Greenway’s southern segments run about a mile and a half east, under the same six-foot leash rule.

Collins Park sits on the county’s current list of park reinvestment projects, as “Collins Park Improvements.” No scope, timeline, or closure dates have been posted to that page.