An aerial view of the track and grandstands at Golden Gate Fields along San Francisco Bay in May 2024. The racetrack, now shuttered, would become a waterfront public park under a deal announced Tuesday by the Trust for Public Land to buy the land and transfer it to the East Bay Regional Park District.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
Fans at the last day of horse racing at Golden Gate Fields on June 9, 2024.
Sean Vassar/Courtesy of Vassar Photography
Housing on the grounds of Golden Gate Fields is pictured in 2021.
Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle
Golden Gate Fields is set to be transformed into a vast waterfront public park linking miles of East Bay shoreline, under a deal announced Tuesday by the Trust for Public Land to buy the former racetrack along San Francisco Bay.
The 161-acre property, between Interstate 80 and the bay on the border of Albany and Berkeley, has been optioned for purchase at $175 million by the trust. The national nonprofit plans to raise the funds to acquire the property, then transfer it to the East Bay Regional Park District when the deal is completed early next year.
Article continues below this ad
The parcel will become a crucial connector to Albany Beach, the Albany Bulb art park and the 8.5 mile long McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, which surrounds the racetrack. It also will provide a mile-long bayfront link to the San Francisco Bay Trail as it runs along the western edge of the cities of Albany and Berkeley.
“This site offers significant potential for environmental stewardship, shoreline protection, and a variety of recreational uses and amenities,” said Albany Mayor Peggy McQuaid. “I look forward to the robust public engagement process and to hearing the ideas and perspectives our community members will bring to shaping this incredible space.”
An aerial view of the grandstands at Golden Gate Fields in May 2024.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
The Trust for Public Land has an exclusive contract for one year, during which due diligence will be conducted, including an environmental review on the site, which is twice the size of San Francisco’s Crissy Field on the opposite side of the bay. If the purchase is successful, it will join the vast portfolio of the East Bay Regional Park District, a 95-year-old public agency that manages parks, trails and open space throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The district will oversee design and construction of the park, with community input helping guide the process.
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
“The opportunity to convert Golden Gate Fields to a fabulous shoreline park serving East Bay residents and the broader Bay Area community is a dream come true for the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors,” said Elizabeth Echols, EBRPD board member for Ward 1, where the land is located. “If the acquisition is successful, 161 acres of beautiful shoreline will forever be preserved for parkland for all to enjoy.”
Article continues below this ad
Once a major destination in the heyday of the Northern California horse racing circuit, Golden Gate Fields closed in 2024, after 78 consecutive seasons of thoroughbred racing. Speculation about its fate included the possibility that it might be sold for development into a hotel or housing complex by its owner, the Stronach Group of Canada. Complicating any transaction is the fact that the track, grandstand and parking lot is in Albany while the backstretch, stables and jockey housing are in Berkeley.
The facilitator between the two cities and the landowner was the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that has raised $112 billion in public funding since its founding in 1972, and put it to use purchasing private land for conversion to open space — including the preservation of 540,000 acres in California alone. The trust does not build or operate parks.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the East Bay,” said state Assembly Member Buffy Wicks. “Transforming Golden Gate Fields from an underused site of a bygone era into a vibrant public waterfront park is exactly the kind of forward-thinking redevelopment our communities deserve — one that reflects our values, meets today’s needs, and creates lasting public benefit for generations to come.”
Horse racing fans Elsa Horciza, left, and Brynn Tully take a break from inside the racing area to take in the view of the bay at Golden Gate Fields on May 26, 2024.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
According to Guillermo Rodriguez, California state director for the trust, the $175 million purchase price amounts to its largest-ever investment in the Bay Area. Fundraising to acquire the property will involve a public-private partnership, with East Bay Regional Parks contributing the first $20 million, “which we think will encourage the state and private donors to unlock their contributions,” he said. Funding is expected to be bolstered by California Proposition 4, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2024 authorizing $10 billion in bonds for climate spending. Rodriguez said naming rights are on offer to help attract donors.
Article continues below this ad
The property owner’s obligation under the option agreement is to deliver the land unencumbered by any above-ground infrastructure.
“The grandstand alone is 175,000 square feet, and that will be removed, as will the housing, the barn and the stables,” said Rodriguez in an interview from his San Francisco office.
Negotiations took 18 months, with a goal of closing the deal in the first quarter of 2027. It will then take five years to design and build out the project, which is mostly in the city of Albany.
“The residents of Albany have been pretty clear that they have always wanted to see this property be publicly accessible,” said Rodriguez. “The views from the property of the bay are absolutely stunning. This really represents an amazing opportunity to create a truly world class park.”
Article continues below this ad