SF’s Brand New 10-Acre “India Basin” Waterfront Park Opens
Mayor London N. Breed today joined community members and state leaders to celebrate the opening of the southern half of India Basin Waterfront Park, one of the most significant park projects in modern San Francisco history. The $200 million environmental justice investment connects Bayview-Hunter’s Point residents to a healthy shoreline, providing waterfront access for the first time in generations, transforming a former brownfield into a thriving public space.
The opening of the new park at 900 Innes Ave. is part of the larger India Basin Waterfront Park project, which began in 2021 and will combine the park with the adjacent India Basin Shoreline Park, creating a spacious 10-acre park that will deliver miles of winding trails, waterfront recreation, unbridled shore access and resiliency to sea level rise. Community members are now able to enjoy three new buildings: a food pavilion for local vendors and community cooking classes, a makers’ shop for boat building and other community projects, and an operations and maintenance building.
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The new park also features two new public piers, a floating dock, restrooms, an accessible walkway, and native landscaping, and a 5,580 square foot ground mural titled “Lady Bayview” by Raylene Gorum, an artist with family roots in the Bayview. The artwork is inspired by the Big Five of Bayview, a group of Black women leaders who, in the 1960s and 1970s, successfully advocated for housing, health and labor issues, a local theater and more. The historic Shipwright’s Cottage, a San Francisco Landmark, now serves as a welcome center.
Public and private dollars have significantly contributed to the overall $200 million price tag, including $69 million in state funding secured by Governor Gavin Newsom, Sen. Scott Wiener, Assemblymembers Phil Ting, David Chu, and Matt Haney, the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, and Proposition 68 grants. Philanthropic funding includes a $25 million donation from the John Pritzker Family Fund, $20 million from Crankstart, and other major contributions from Marc and Lynne Benioff, the Hellman Foundation, Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, Rebecca and Cal Henderson, Baker Street Foundation, the Fisher Family, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and others.
The parcel at 900 Innes Ave. was first acquired by Rec and Park in 2014. Prior to its construction, in 2021, specially trained crews led by Bayview-Hunters Point’s Rubecon Builders led an 18-month cleanup process, removing contamination left over from the boat building and vessel repair industry in the soil and sediment. During this process, abandoned and dilapidated structures were removed, while soft-bottom intertidal and subtidal habitats were restored.
With the southern half of the park now complete, construction crews will next begin improvements at the nearby India Basin Shoreline Park, which was originally constructed in the 1990s. Improvements include major regrading work to ease steep slopes and restoration of the shoreline habitat and native plant landscaping. In addition, the park will receive new amenities including a gravel beach; a cookout terrace and grilling area; a new boathouse, pier, and dock for kayaking and fishing; a renovated children’s play area; two new basketball courts; an adult fitness station; a renovated Bay Trail connecting the area to adjacent waterfront parks; a bicycle path; new lighting and seating; and permanent public art.
The Bayview nonprofit En2Action will manage the food pavilion, providing space to neighborhood food vendors as well as culinary skills training, business incubation, weekend pop-ups and a youth kitchen club. Nationally recognized Bronx, NY-based youth development organization Rocking the Boat will provide year around youth and community rowing and boat building programming.
India Basin Waterfront Park is one of only a few parks in the nation to be guided by an Equitable Development Plan (EDP) developed by the community. The EDP ensures the park’s features and programming are culturally relevant and directly benefits the Bayview-Hunters Point community.
The landmark plan was developed through a two-year community-driven process in which Rec and Park partners APRI and Trust for Public Land worked with an EDP leadership team consisting of Bayview-Hunters Point residents to ensure the park’s design and programming preserves the neighborhood’s identity and culture; spurs workforce and business development; and creates opportunities for youth; among other initiatives. The design of the new park was created through a partnership with Jensen Architects and GGN.
A core principle of the project is delivering community benefits at every stage. Contracts were awarded to19 Bayview-Hunters Point contractors and suppliers during the building of the park, including 16 BIPOC-owned businesses, totaling over $15 million in value. Local workforce hiring has also been a priority A workforce development program through partners APRI and the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and its CityBuild Construction Training Academy graduated 16 trainees, several of whom secured jobs with Swinerton Construction to help build the park, while others used their newfound skills to secure other family-sustaining jobs. Rec and Park’s pre-apprenticeship program, launching in January, will train residents in landscape maintenance and urban forestry, preparing them for City and private sector jobs.
The EDP leadership also prioritized water safety for neighborhood youth. The Bayview Safety Swim and Splash program, led jointly by Rec and Park and the YMCA of Greater San Francisco, has provided free swimming lessons to more than 639 Bayview-Hunters Point kids over the past 3 years. The goal is to ensure that youth are comfortable and confident in the water, meaning that they can swim, float, breathe, and get to safety if needed.
The India Basin Waterfront Park project is made possible through a partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco (APRI), Trust for Public Land, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the San Francisco Foundation, and the Bayview-Hunters Point community.
“India Basin Waterfront Park is more than just a park with incredible views and worldclass trails—it’s a symbol of healing, equity, and opportunity for the Bayview-Hunters Point community,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California Director, Trust for Public Land. “This $200 million park development is like no other in the country. Driven by the community from the start, TPL is proud of the hand-in-hand partnership with local residents in transforming this once-neglected space into a vibrant, inclusive hub that reflects the community’s rich history and bright future. This is a significant first step in addressing decades of environmental injustice and creating lasting economic and health benefits for generations to come.”
Today, Bayview-Hunters Point is home to a vibrant and diverse community, consisting of predominantly Black, Asian, and Latino San Franciscans. As early as the 1860s, the India Basin area was a hub to a thriving wooden boat-building industry, cultivating a robust maritime community and serving as an integral part of California’s commercial economy. Around the same time, Chinese fishermen descended onto the area, as its shallow waters facilitated the harvesting of shrimp. Visitors to the new park can learn more about the history of India Basin through displays and exhibitions at the restored Shipwright’s Cottage.
Hat Tip: San Francisco Chronicle
