- EXPLORE OUR PARKS
- Park Improvements
- Bonds and Initiatives
- Let’sPlaySF! Initiative (2012 Bond)
Let’sPlaySF! Initiative (2012 Bond)
Background
Let’sPlaySF! has its origins in the $195 million San Francisco Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks General Obligation Bond approved by 71.6% of voters in November 2012. The Bond allocated $15.5 million to renovate dilapidated playgrounds through the City.
In 2014, the Recreation and Park Commission appointed a Citizen Task Force to determine which playgrounds were most in need of renovation. The Task Force prioritized six Tier 1 and seven Tier 2 playgrounds for renovation based on four criteria: (1) the presence of Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Pressure Treated Wood, (2) low Household Median Income, (3) high Youth Density and (4) low Parks Alliance Playground Report Card Grades.
In December 2014, the Recreation and Park Commission unanimously adopted the list recommended by the Task Force, of which the Department committed to renovate all six Tier 1 playgrounds and to renovate some or all Tier 2 playgrounds provided if additional funding were procured. In the wake of that determination, the Department and the Parks Alliance decided to partner on Let’sPlaySF!, a capital campaign dedicated to raising sufficient funds to ensure that all 13 playgrounds can be reimagined for San Francisco’s children. The Parks Alliance Board voted in December 2015 to undertake the campaign and in December of 2016, the Commission approved a MOU between the Parks Alliance and the Department to partner on the project and recommended that the Board of Supervisors accept up to $15 million from the Parks Alliance for the project.
Program Status
The initiative has fully completed 9 of the 13 playgrounds and are open to the public. Of the four remaining playground, Herz Playground is currently in construction. Stern Grove and Richmond are preparing for construction later in 2023. Buchanan Mall Playground has been incorporated into a larger renovation of the park and is currently in design phase. For status updates on the individual sites, click on a project.
Status of Tier 1 Sites - All Tier 1 Sties are completed and open to the public.
- Washington Square Playground
- Panhandle Playground
- Sgt. John Macaulay Park
- McLaren Park - Redwood Grove Playground
- Merced Heights Playground
- Alice Chalmers Playground
Status of Tier 2 Sites:
- West Portal Playground
- Juri Commons
- Golden Gate Heights Park
- Herz Playground
- Richmond Playground
- Buchanan Street Mall
- Stern Grove Playground
