The City of San Francisco is set to receive a $8.5 million grant from a voter-approved bond measure to help transform a former industrial lot in India Basin into a waterfront park.
The grant will go toward recreation features envisioned by local leaders for the future India Basin Park. Improvements include gathering docks for people to socialize along the restored shoreline; an accessible walkway and stairs to connect Bayview-Hunters Point with the expanded park, gardens and natural habitats; a public plaza for fitness classes, performances and farmers markets; a lighted bicycle and pedestrian path that will close a gap in the Bay Trail, linking the Embarcadero to Candlestick Point; and an ecological education area where visitors can observe tidal mudflat habitats and native birds through small paths, decks and viewing platforms.
"With this funding from the state, we are one step closer to a beautiful waterfront hub for recreation and ecological education in the Bayview," said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. "This project is true environmental justice for residents of the southeast neighborhoods and will be an incredible place to visit for everyone in San Francisco."
The money comes from Proposition 68, a $4 billion bond passed by California voters in June 2018.
The project site at 900 Innes Ave. is poised to undergo restoration of tidal marsh and wildlife habitat. This restoration is the first step in a plan to revitalize and unite a series of existing and poorly conditioned waterfront open spaces into a 10-acre seamless design. Once complete, it will provide unrivaled recreational access for 2,500 units of public and affordable housing, either existing or planned, within one mile of the future park.
"I'm extremely pleased about this investment in our community. Parks are essential to our physical, mental and emotional health," said San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton in a statement. "This design was shaped by the hopes and desires of the Bayview-Hunters Point community and reflects our arts, culture, and traditions. It will be amazing when the vision of this park is realized."
Additional funding for the India Basin Shoreline Park Restoration Project includes a $25 million donation from the John Pritzker Family Fund and $4 million from the state budget secured with the help of Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who is chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee.
Local
The India Basin waterfront project, passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in October of 2018, will combine the abandoned industrial site at 900 Innes, which the City acquired in 2014, with two existing parks that border it: India Basin Shoreline Park and India Basin Shoreline Open Space, both of which would undergo significant improvements.
A key goal of the India Basin project is to serve as an anchor for equitable and inclusive economic growth. Local youth and adults are being trained by nonprofits to work on both the remediation and construction.
