SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The India Basin Waterfront Park project in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood will receive $5.1 million through a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy to improve public access, and further habitat restoration and climate resilience efforts, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.
The India Basin Waterfront Park project is among several projects across the state to receive funding as part of a larger $84 million grant from the Coastal Conservancy to support climate resilience, public access, habitat restoration, and wildlife resilience projects.
The future 10-acre waterfront park is currently under construction. Once complete, it will seamlessly combine the historical former ship-building site at 900 Innes Ave. with India Basin Shoreline Park, which will also undergo improvements. The final product will create a spacious park in the city’s Southeastern neighborhood, featuring shore access, sports courts, gathering spaces, multi-use trails, and much more. The new park will also close a critical gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail.
The project’s first phase removed and restored contaminated soil and sediment left behind from the area’s days as an industrial boat building and vessel repair site, and concluded in fall 2022. The second phase at 900 Innes Ave. is currently underway and includes the rehabilitation of the historic Shipwright’s Cottage and the construction of two new public piers, a food pavilion, a makers shop, a new floating dock, an ADA-compliant walkway, a restroom, and much more
The new grant funding will go toward the construction efforts currently happening at 900 Innes Ave. that address public access, sea level rise and habitat restoration. That includes building structures above high tide levels projected for the year 2100, as well as restoring nearby wetlands to promote habitat diversity and installing bioswales to manage stormwater runoff and a living shoreline to reduce erosion and support wildlife.
The project is guided by an Equitable Development Plan—a first for San Francisco. The plan was created with input from the Bayview-Hunters Point community and provides an outline for preserving the community’s identity by providing economic and social benefits for residents, including work force development programs, entrepreneurship opportunities, youth programming, and more.
“This project is climate justice in action,” said SF Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “The Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood has contended with industrial pollution for decades and through this project we will be able to deliver a resilient and healthy shoreline with waterfront access for the community to enjoy for generations. This grant ensures that this project sees those objectives through.”
The India Basin Waterfront Park Project is a partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Trust for Public Land, San Francisco Parks Alliance, A. Philip Randolph Institute, and the Bayview-Hunters Point (BVHP) community.
The roughly $200 million project was made possible through public and private funding, including $54 million in state funding; $29 million through San Francisco’s 2020 Health and Recovery Bond; and $14.3 million from two Proposition 68 grants. In addition, the John Pritzker Family Fund provided a $25 million donation.
Phase two of the project is anticipated to be completed in summer 2024, at which point phase three is set to commence. Phase three at India Basin Shoreline Park consists of the construction of a new boat house and pier, a new adventure playground, two new basketball courts, and further shoreline habitat and marsh restoration efforts. The entire project is anticipated to be complete in summer 2026. For more information, including project updates, visit ibwaterfrontparks.com.
Established in 1976, the Coastal Conservancy is a California state agency formed to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. It acts with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to California’s coast, ocean, and coastal watersheds, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area.
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