A Park for the Community, Built by the Community

The Bay Area is known for its breathtaking parks and outdoor attractions, but not all neighborhoods have such bragging rights. Thanks to TPL, that’s changing in the Bayview–Hunters Point community with the unveiling of a transformative new gem: India Basin Waterfront Park.

The $200 million project is an innovative, farsighted effort that’s expected to guide the creation of public green spaces for years to come. But it’s the neighborhood that makes this park remarkable.

Terence Wu, a project associate at Trust for Public Land, says, “I grew up in San Francisco, maybe a 15-to-20-minute drive from this area, and this park wasn’t someplace a lot of people visited. It was a neglected piece of the city.”

Jacqueline Bryant, executive director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) in San Francisco, agrees: “We’re not used to hearing about those iconic [outdoor spaces] in the southeast part of San Francisco,” she says. “There has been a historic neglect of doing anything on this side of the city.”

An important TPL partner on India Basin Waterfront Park, APRI is a nonprofit that advocates for racial and economic justice through civic participation. Achieving those goals in Bayview–Hunters Point meant putting residents first when planning a park renovation of this magnitude.

This is where the park’s Equitable Development Plan comes in. Created by TPL along with APRI, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the plan is a genuine game-changer. It will influence how urban parks are designed going forward, becoming a model for how to build public space with equity in mind.

Part of its ingenuity is that workforce development was baked in from the start—meaning the park project recruited and offered job training to locals who were interested in construction careers. Now, the park’s neighbors are helping overhaul the 10-acre site (part of shoreline open space comprising 64 acres overall). The plan also incorporated community input in its design, ensuring park features and amenities reflect residents’ needs.

“Seeing so many people dedicate so much time and energy in the investment of their neighborhood—into building this huge, amazing park—it’s something to be really proud of,” says Wu.

Bryant describes the hiring as “hyperlocal,” adding that it’s very important that staff “work and live and have grown up in the neighborhood,” so they really care about the quality and longevity of the space and are able to reap the benefits that come with a statement park—benefits that more typically come to wealthier communities.

Meet the Workforce

Yoshida Ellis Pitts is one of the construction workers on the project. Her family is from the Bayview community, and she remembers what India Basin used to look like.

“It was nothing but a field with water,” she recalls. “I would take my dogs down there and let them jump in. It was dark then,” she adds, referring to the park’s tumbledown state.

Now she’s playing an active role in its betterment. “Once I got into construction, I really liked it,” she says. “Plus, I’m following in the footsteps of my father and my brother, who both worked in construction for years.”

For Pitts, this opportunity is more than just a job; it’s a chance to make a tangible difference in her community by improving the quality of nearby green space and enhancing recreational options along the shore and in the water. “I love it. I love what we’re doing and the artwork all over the park,” expresses Pitts. “Just being able to canoe in San Francisco—over here in this neighborhood—I am so excited for it.”

“Once I got into construction, I really liked it. Plus, I’m following in the footsteps of my father and my brother, who both worked in construction for years.”

— Yoshida Ellis Pitts, Workforce Development Program Graduate

One new piece of art is Lady Bayview, a large mural on the deck of the pier. By Raylene Gorum, an artist with local ties, it depicts a 5,500-square-foot female figure holding a globe in her hands as a nod to the self-determination of this community, to the ambition of women like Pitts. A wife and mother of three, Pitts has embraced her new job wholeheartedly, and she’s not the only one.

Josue Martinez, 33, who works alongside Pitts and others, says he, too, was thankful for the chance to be part of this renovation project: “I first heard about this program through the pastor of my local congregation,” says Martinez, who lives in nearby Ingleside.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity because I was struggling, trying to break into the construction industry,” he recalls. “I was applying to get into construction, but there were a good amount of roadblocks. If you don’t know people, if you don’t have the necessary skills, it’s hard.”

Martinez, Pitts, and a cohort of 48 other residents got the job skills and connections they needed with the help of TPL, APRI, and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. That included hazardous material training, OSHA protocols, and aspects related to health and safety on-site. “These [are] certifications they can use throughout their career,” says Bryant.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity because I was struggling, trying to break into the construction industry. If you don’t know people, if you don’t have the necessary skills, it’s hard.”

— Josue Martinez, workforce development program graduate

“Learning how to use power tools effectively and appropriately” is one skill Martinez mentions, along with “knowing certain codes, like how guardrails are supposed to be done at a certain length and width and carrying things correctly without harming yourself or others.”

There were also soft skills he developed: “Being professional, being on time—being on time in construction is important,” he says. “It’s a team effort.” As a pre-apprentice, he felt a responsibility to be qualified and competent. “Now I feel confident being able to say, ‘Hey, I can do this,’” Martinez shares.

He currently bikes to work, and once the park is finished, he looks forward to riding his bike around the waterfront, noting there will be a long stretch where people can run, walk, or bike. “That would be phenomenal,” he says of the future he’s helping create.

Martinez is referring to the San Francisco Bay Trail, a planned 500-mile route that circles the bay. “It’s a pedestrian and bicycle path that is largely complete but had excluded Bayview prior to this project,” says Šárka Volejníková, Bay Area program director at Trust for Public Land. She describes the India Basin stretch as “crucial to ensuring equitable access to outdoor recreation and the benefits it brings residents.”

There are also plans to include shuttles to and from the new India Basin Waterfront Park from other areas of the city once it’s open, another way the park will support local jobs.

Get to Know Bayview–Hunters Point

Geographically, India Basin is a body of water in southeast San Francisco. It’s also an icon—for better or worse—of the Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood, a predominantly Black community that is considered one of the city’s most isolated. The area is also known as the location of the decommissioned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

The former shipyard property was the site of nuclear testing in the 1940s and ’50s, and it was abandoned, leaving toxic chemicals in the ground. Not coincidentally, Bayview is known to have the highest level of asthma cases among children in the city of San Francisco. The land’s industrial and commercial use has taken its toll on the area in other ways, as well.

“Bayview is a community that has historically been disenfranchised by city investments,” says Bryant. But this ambitious project and collaboration with TPL are changing that. “The city now has an opportunity to invest $200 million in a shoreline restoration and renovation project,” she says. Volejníková adds that $15 million of that sum is dedicated to the Equitable Development Plan, “an integral part of the project with significant resources going into it.”

There are two primary sections of the new India Basin Waterfront Park. The first opened in October 2024 and included the debut of several new buildings and the renovation of a San Francisco landmark: the historic Shipwright’s Cottage located at 900 Innes Avenue.

The park’s welcome center, which is housed in the Shipwright’s Cottage, will also serve as a museum, with artifacts and information for people to learn about the history of the space. “A lot of what we heard from community members was a desire to keep that [nautical] history,” Bryant says of planning meetings with residents.

A new multiuse building, meanwhile, will be geared toward education. A local nonprofit called Rocking the Boat will offer courses in boatbuilding, rowing, sailing, and local marine ecology; summer employment and job-readiness training; and STEM-focused field exploration.

A food pavilion with the community in mind is also being created. “Not only is Bayview–Hunters Point a food desert,” says Bryant, “but there are a lot of local entrepreneurs who can’t quite afford brick and mortar spaces. This will be a great opportunity to create a commercial kitchen space for [them].” A future farmers’ market is also in the works, which will further address food scarcity in the area.

Look to the Future

While locals enjoy the 2.5-acre portion of the park that’s now open, renovation of the second, 7.5-acre section is currently underway. “There will be two basketball courts and two playgrounds, one for younger kids and one for older kids and adults, so that everyone can enjoy playing,” says Volejníková.

But the India Basin park project signifies more than just the creation of a recreational space; it symbolizes the revitalization of a neglected community in an area of the city where attention is long overdue.

“San Francisco is well-known for its parks,” says Bryant. “But oftentimes, this part of the city isn’t even on tourist maps.” She sees India Basin Waterfront Park as “a great beacon to get people to come and visit this other side of town. And it should be just as beautiful as any other part of San Francisco,” she says.

One new piece of art is Lady Bayview, a large mural on the deck of the pier. By Raylene Gorum, an artist with local ties, it depicts a 5,500-square-foot female figure holding a globe in her hands as a nod to the self-determination of this community, to the ambition of women like Pitts. Rendering: Courtesy of Raylene Gorum

“We’re really looking forward to having waterfront access,” Bryant adds. She’s not alone in her enthusiasm. Residents remark on that aspect frequently when asked what they’re anticipating most. This community has never had an easy route to the water, despite living so close to it. With the opening of the park, they’ll be able to fish and launch watercraft such as kayaks and stand-up paddleboards from the shoreline—a huge improvement in recreational equity.

But as any coastal dweller knows, sea-level rise is a real concern. This is where Trust for Public Land’s incorporation of green infrastructure elements into its park projects is vastly important. “We’ve included thoughtfully selected native plantings, permeable surfaces, and areas that can absorb rainwater throughout,” says Volejníková.

“There are stormwater retention areas that will hold water for a while and let it seep out into the bay slower than it would if these areas were not there,” she explains. “So, water that could contribute to rising or higher tidal levels enters in smaller volumes. And the whole park is graded so that it slopes much more gently into the water.”

Restoring the area’s natural wetlands and marshlands is also vital to the park’s success; it will ensure a more climate-resilient waterfront for nearby communities while supporting sensitive ecological networks of fish, birds, and other wildlife. “We’ve restored approximately a mile of wetlands,” Volejníková notes. That means better opportunities for observing nature too.

Making the park a safe, welcoming, versatile green space is the ultimate goal, adds TPL’s Wu. “At Trust for Public Land, we focus on park equity because it impacts folks’ physical health, their mental well-being, and their social ties.”

Numerous studies show that time spent outside is key to our health, with access to green space associated with reduced risk of obesity, stress, and depression. By building this high-quality park, TPL is providing a healthful benefit for generations to come—and to a neighborhood that hasn’t previously enjoyed such amenities.

Which brings us back to Yoshida Pitts and Josue Martinez. Their stories exemplify the transformative power of community-driven initiatives and the importance of investing in local talent and resources. Through perseverance and dedication, they and their peers are not only rebuilding a park but also paving the way for a brighter future.

That bright future includes a reality where residents aren’t displaced from the neighborhoods they know and love. “The goal for me is to buy a house up here in San Francisco,” Pitts says, something a reliable construction job and living wage can help her achieve. “I was born and raised here, and this is where I wanna be. I want to raise my son here.”

Indeed, children who grow up nearby will now have a enchanting place to play and a closer relationship with nature. “The kids are excited about the pier,” adds Pitts. “I just want to see the faces and the smiles and hope everyone’s able to enjoy [the park].”

Everyone includes residents like Ronda Simpson, who’s been coming to the prior version of the park for years. To her, the renovation at India Basin Waterfront Park (which is expected to be fully complete in 2026)—and the new attention being given to Bayview–Hunters Point—is a welcome change.

“I’ve always brought my kids here because it’s the closest thing to the neighborhood,” she says, “and now my daughter brings her kids.” But Simpson never imagined the park would improve in such a dramatic way. When asked what she and her family look forward to most, she puts it simply: “Serenity, peace, safety.”

Take a virtual tour of the completed park here.

Daphne Young has written stories for the San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper and the San Francisco Chronicle. She also served as an anchor and reporter at KQED radio station.