- 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 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, in 2016, the Department launched the Let’sPlaySF! Initative, a public-private partnership dedicated to raising sufficient funds to ensure that all 13 playgrounds could be reimagined for San Francisco’s children.
Program Status
The initiative has fully completed 11 of 13 playgrounds and they are open to the public.
Of the two remaining playgrounds, Stern Grove began construction in late 2024 and slated to open in Mid-2025. Buchanan Street Mall Playground has been incorporated into a larger renovation of the park. This project began construction in summer 2025 and slated to open in 2026.
For status updates on the individual sites, click on a project:
Status of Tier 1 Sites - All Tier 1 sites 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
Project Updates
If you would like to sign-up for Project Update blog posts like the ones below, click here, scroll down to the News Flash section, and then select "RPD Park Improvements | All Project Updates" to receive updates on all our active projects, or pick-and-choose your blog subscriptions by project name. You'll receive an email that includes a link to confirm your new subscription for each blog for which you sign-up.
