Background
Site History
The future site of Bay Rise Park and the surrounding land was created in the 1970s by illegal placement of fill in the San Francisco Bay. While most of the immediate area is currently hotels and office buildings, this 9.4 acres is owned by the California State Lands Commission (SLC) and remains undeveloped. The site is currently vacant and consists of low habitat-value ruderal vegetation (weedy plants that grow in waste areas), with an eroded section of the Bay Trail bordering the Bay edge.
Preserving Open Space: 2017-2019
In 2017, the SLC received proposals to turn the parcel into a hotel. The SPHERE Institute (SPHERE) believed that another hotel in the area was not in the public’s best interest and submitted a counter-proposal for the land to remain open space as a public nature and recreation park. The SLC conducted a multi-year public trust needs assessment to solicit feedback from the public. In 2019 the Bay Rise Park project was selected through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process and signed an interim 4-year lease with the SLC to complete design and secure regulatory approval, at which point a 49-year lease will be executed.
Progress Timeline
