A park for you,
a park for me,
a park for everyone!
A proposal for a future-forward park at Golden Gate Fields.
One that respects the history of the site and offers an economic engine to repair the waterfront.
Once-in-a-Generation
Opportunity
We support acquiring Golden Gate Fields for public use. We believe it represents one of the most significant public space opportunities in California.
Before irreversible decisions are made, we should ask a broader set of questions about what this park can become—and how we create a park worthy of this remarkable site.
Acquire
Why the rush?
We keep hearing that we need to move quickly to secure Golden Gate Fields. But why?
The property has been available for years, and no one has purchased it. After five years without another buyer stepping forward, it is difficult to understand why we should suddenly be making consequential—and irreversible—decisions under the pressure of an artificial deadline.
Public ownership is an extraordinary opportunity. But urgency should be based on an actual threat of losing that opportunity, not simply on a desire to get the deal done.
We have time. We should use it to negotiate the best possible deal, understand what we are acquiring, explore reuse, and allow the public process to help shape the decisions that cannot be undone.
There is no prize for doing this quickly. There is enormous value in doing it well.
$125M strings attached!
$125 MILLION COMES WITH STRINGS
California has committed $125 million toward the acquisition of Golden Gate Fields. That investment makes public ownership possible—but the money comes from funding programs created for specific purposes, including coastal resilience, San Francisco Bay restoration, fish and wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.
Those funding sources may carry long-term requirements governing how the property can be used. EBRPD itself acknowledges that the future vision for Golden Gate Fields will be influenced by restrictions imposed by the public funding used to acquire it. East Bay Regional Park District
Before we accept restrictions that could shape this waterfront for generations, we should understand exactly what they are.
Will they allow the full range of recreation? Restaurants? Events? Hospitality? Partnerships? Ground leases? Revenue-generating uses that could help pay for the park? And will the property retain the ability to adapt as our shoreline, economy, and communities change?
Securing the money is not the same as securing the right future.
Imagine
What kind of park do we want to create?
Should Golden Gate Fields become another shoreline park, or should it become a destination that blends ecology, recreation, education, culture, and community?
Great parks begin with imagination.
Fund
How do we build—and sustain—a great park?
Acquiring the land is only the first step.
How will the park be built?
How will it be maintained?
What economic engines can help fund programming, habitat restoration, operations, and long-term stewardship?
We should answer those questions before we eliminate opportunities that could help solve them.
Program
Parks thrive when people have reasons to return.
Ecological restoration is essential, but programming is what creates identity.
Youth sports.
Environmental education.
Markets.
Arts.
Community events.
Food.
Festivals.
Outdoor recreation.
The most beloved parks become part of everyday life.
Steward
The right vision deserves the right framework.
Who is best positioned to create and operate a park of this ambition?
How should it be governed?
What partnerships should be explored?