SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (SF Rec & Parks) announced today the commission approval of conceptual design to convert 4.5 acres of former reservoir to a brand new park located atop of Russian Hill. The Park, bounded by Bay, Hyde and Larkin Streets and is intersected by Francisco Street, was once a reservoir managed by SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) in 1930s, the property was closed down by 1941.
In 2014, Rec & Parks acquired Francisco Reservoir from SFPUC for $9.9 Million in order to develop the site into a park. Under an agreement spearheaded by Mayor Mark Farrell, a group of residents formally known as The Francisco Park Conservancy, agreed to raise the money to develop the site into a park. The project is expected to cost $25 million to complete.
In 2016, the Conservancy, SF Rec & Parks and then-Supervisor Mark Farrell’s office lead an extensive community planning and design process to create the plans for the new park.
Once completed, the Park will provide recreation opportunity for a wide cross-section of visitors, including a multi-use main lawn, children’s playground, dog park, community garden, and several view terraces set along meandering paths. Steeper slopes will be planted to increase bird and insect habitat as well as visitor enjoyment of native plant communities.