{"id":488228,"date":"2026-10-07T17:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/488228\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T17:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:02:22","slug":"what-comes-next-at-golden-gate-fields-now-that-the-historic-east-bay-horse-track-is-closed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/488228\/","title":{"rendered":"What comes next at Golden Gate Fields now that the historic East Bay horse track is closed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six months ago, in a historic land conservation deal, a San Francisco environmental group signed an agreement to purchase Golden Gate Fields \u2014 the site of a famous horse racing track from 1941 to 2024 \u2014 and preserve it as a landmark new waterfront park.<\/p>\n

The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization, secured an option to pay $175 million to buy the 161-acre property<\/a> west of Interstate 80 in Albany and Berkeley from the Stronach Group, a Canadian company that has owned it since 1999. The plan received a major boost this summer when Gov. Gavin Newsom included $125 million in his final state budget to help pay for it.<\/p>\n

But now comes the hard part: Tearing down the buildings and coming up with a plan for the property\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

There are countless opinions, visions and dreams<\/a> that members of the public, state officials, city leaders, and managers at the East Bay Regional Park District, which will own the site, are already starting to voice. They\u2019ll have to find compromises in the coming months and years in what many leaders are calling a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the East Bay\u2019s waterfront.<\/p>\n

\"Map\u201cLook at the view. It\u2019s just amazing,\u201d said Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, during a tour of the property Monday. \u201cPeople are going to want to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the aging, shuttered track<\/a>, a stunning panorama was visible across San Francisco Bay: the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Tamalpais, Alcatraz Island, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco\u2019s iconic skyline.<\/p>\n

Wicks said she hopes that the property\u2019s one mile of bayfront property will become a new public beach, and that much of the land can be restored as a public park. She\u2019d also like to see parts set aside for youth soccer and baseball fields, adding to those at Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex on the property\u2019s southern edge, which are always in demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to go through an extensive public process,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what comes out the other end. But this is a gold mine of an opportunity. It\u2019s a long journey and we are just starting.\u201d<\/p>\n

A number of significant challenges are already beginning to surface.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 15, the Trust for Public Land plans to exercise its option, putting down $1.75 million and starting a 30-day escrow period, said Guillermo Rodriguez, the group\u2019s state director. By Jan. 14, the trust expects to close escrow, take title to the land and transfer it that day to the East Bay parks district.<\/p>\n

\"AA group of public officials and their staff members stand in front of the winner\u2019s circle during a site tour of the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. The historic horse racing track closed in 2024 after 83 years of racing and will be converted into a new bayfront public park. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

But under the terms of the deal, the landowner must remove all of the facilities \u2014 the massive wooden grandstand and its thousands of seats, the one-mile oval track where famous thoroughbreds like 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation raced, stables that once housed hundreds of horses and other buildings.<\/p>\n

The Stronach Group applied for a demolition permit from the city of Albany, where most of the property is located, on June 25. The city still hasn\u2019t issued the permit. Nor has the city of Berkeley, which also must issue a demolition permit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on it as quickly as we can,\u201d said Nicole Almaguer, Albany\u2019s city manager. \u201cIt will involve the applicant providing some additional information. Honestly, I don\u2019t have a date. It\u2019s under review.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almaguer said she hopes the city can issue the permit by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to give us more information on the actual timelines for the demolition and the circulation routes for the trucks,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there have been some questions raised about how the environment is protected throughout that, which is clearly the responsibility of the applicant.\u201d<\/p>\n

With strong El Ni\u00f1o conditions<\/a> in the Pacific Ocean, the chances of many drenching storms in the Bay Area this winter have increased. If the buildings aren\u2019t removed in three months, that could potentially delay or complicate the transfer.<\/p>\n

To complete the $175 million purchase, East Bay parks is putting up $20 million, approved by voters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in Measure WW, a 2008 parks bond measure. The Trust for Public Land is raising the remaining $30 million from private and public sources.<\/p>\n

After that comes a planning process that could take at least a year, officials say.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia State Senate member Jesse Arregu\u00edn records a video during a site tour of the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. The historic horse racing track closed in 2024 after 83 years of racing and will be converted into a new bayfront public park. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the first meeting, held in Albany last week, to discuss ideas, more than 400 people attended in person and online. Officials noted the city will lose roughly $2.2 million in annual tax revenue when the track changes from private to public ownership. They want some commercial elements to be included in the final design, like restaurants or other businesses.<\/p>\n

Albany Mayor Peggy McQuaid said her dream is a new performing arts center.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that Albany desperately needs,\u201d she said. \u201cThe theater recently closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Sen. Jesse Arregu\u00edn, D-Oakland, said that because the state\u2019s $125 million share is coming from Proposition 4,<\/a> a climate adaptation bond approved by California voters in 2024, that will limit some of the uses to park, wildlife and sea level rise projects.<\/p>\n

He said, however, that some housing construction might be possible on the site. Like Wicks, he said he would like to see new sports fields for kids in the East Bay, where there is a shortage of parks in some neighborhoods. He compared the Golden Gate Fields project to Crissy Field, the scenic waterfront park that San Francisco officials built 25 years ago from an abandoned military airfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to think about what could be here,\u201d Arregu\u00edn said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just an East Bay issue. This is a California issue. We have the opportunity to create the next Crissy Field here on the shore of the East Bay. It\u2019s an issue of statewide significance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA group of public officials and their staff members walk to the front entrance of the Golden Gate Fields during a site tour in Albany, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. The historic horse racing track closed in 2024 after 83 years of racing and will be converted into a new bayfront public park. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Max Korten, the general manager of East Bay Regional Park District, said he hopes early next year to open parts of the now-closed parking lot at the race track for people who hike and walk dogs at the Albany Bulb, a former landfill that is now a popular city park.<\/p>\n

Korten said the parks district and Trust for Public Land are working to raise several million dollars to fund a comprehensive planning process next year with public meetings and other events. Finalizing the plan could take a while, he said, although parts of the project could be built in stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was just trails, I know what that looks like,\u201d Korten said. \u201cBut with this, there are a lot of ideas. As we get further into the planning process, we\u2019ll know more.\u201d<\/p>\n

People out walking Tuesday at the Albany Bulb overlooking the padlocked track had a range of thoughts.<\/p>\n

Julie Rainwater, a Martinez resident walking her dog, said that since the pristine, open shoreline surrounding Golden Gate Fields is unique, any development should be in service of continued public access.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a short little day trip. We can come, bring our dogs and picnic and hang out for the day,\u201d Rainwater said. \u201cI would love to see it just be more of an area for the community. Maybe a roller skating rink.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walnut Creek resident Russell Silverstein said Golden Gate Fields was a part of his childhood summers when he visited from San Francisco. He said he hopes the 160 acres will be dedicated to park space and recreation for children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very nice, beautiful walk. And for biking as well,\u201d Silverstein said. \u201cAnd I think we have to protect that because we\u2019re not doing that anymore in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodriguez, of the Trust for Public Land, said he remembers coming to the track as a student at UC Berkeley in the 1990s when it offered $1 Pabst Beer and $1 hot dogs. Among those interested in its future, he said, are UC officials who see recreational opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are excited,\u201d he said. \u201cThe opportunity to create a world-class bayfront park is in our grasp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SpiderwebsSpiderwebs adorn a large glass window that looks out onto the race track during a site tour of the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. The historic horse racing track closed in 2024 after 83 years of racing and will be converted into a new bayfront public park. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Six months ago, in a historic land conservation deal, a San Francisco environmental group signed an agreement to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3571,55155,764,30645,132432,36193,143,145,144,1914,144188],"class_list":["post-488228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-albany","tag-bay-area-parks","tag-berkeley","tag-buffy-wicks","tag-golden-gate-fields","tag-jesse-arreguin","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-san-francisco-bay","tag-trust-for-public-land"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}