Metro has put eight pieces of extra land up for sale, and one plot has caught the eye of dog lovers in Columbia Heights: 1100 Park Road Northwest.

The land is “in the heart of Columbia Heights… close to popular restaurants and retailers that is prime for development,” according to Metro’s real estate page.

It’s also been home to a busy dog park since 2009, and dog owners are trying to save it by getting the city to purchase the land.

Metro owns the land because it contains a large vent fan for the Green and Yellow lines. Developers would have to keep that space open, according to a flyer.

The almost-7,400 square-foot plot is said to be valued around $2.1 million. In May, Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) got $1.5 million in the city’s annual budget to buy the land, but it wasn’t enough.

The dog park association, 11th and Bark, is now circulating a petition asking the city to make a fair-market price offer.

Nadeau said Metro released the appraisal the day the budget was approved, so it was too late to add more to the budget. But she said she thinks the city would be willing to pay a market rate.

“The question now is would Metro accept a bid from the District at $2.1 million?” Nadeau said. “I don’t think any of us are interested in getting into a bidding war with private developers using taxpayer resources.”

Bids are due at the end of February. Metro hopes to get top dollar for its properties that are no longer needed. The proceeds would go toward its capital or operating budget. The sales, Metro officials say, would also reduce maintenance costs.

“Our riders want affordable, cost-effective public transit and to do that we need to find new sources of revenue and efficiencies,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said in a statement. “We are turning over every stone, looking at all of our assets to get the most out of every dollar and ensure continued financial stability.”

Metro says all eight parcels for sale are in areas surrounded by commercial or residential development. Officials say it would add to already robust neighborhoods.

Other sites include six acres near the Whole Foods in College Park, two acres near the Glenmont Metro station on the Red Line and other small plots in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. Details on other parcels can be found here.

The Columbia Heights site was never meant to be a dog park. It has no water access and poor drainage that creates mud pits and pools of water in the middle of the park. Metro rejected a 2016 pitch to improve the park, according to the Washington Post.

Nadeau just can’t see a real good use for the land.

“I don’t understand what you can really build over large air shafts that have to be regularly accessed by WMATA,” Nadeau said.

And if the city doesn’t get the land, Nadeau said she’d work with the community to find another place for a dog park.

This story was originally published on WAMU. It has been updated.