A proposed $125 million state investment could pave the way for the former Golden Gate Fields racetrack to become a major public waterfront park spanning Berkeley and Albany in California’s East Bay.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has backed the funding through Proposition 4, a climate-resilience bond approved by voters in 2024. State Senator Jesse Arreguín said the money would help the Trust for Public Land acquire the 161-acre site and transfer it to the East Bay Regional Park District.
“Our waterfront is our greatest public asset, and this investment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn this iconic site into a park for all Californians to enjoy,” Mr Arreguín said.
Golden Gate Fields park plan
The former horse-racing facility sits on a prominent stretch of San Francisco Bay shoreline, between existing sections of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. The proposed park would help link Albany Beach, the Albany Bulb, Point Isabel Regional Shoreline and Berkeley’s waterfront parks, while improving walking and cycling connections along the Bay Trail.
The East Bay Regional Park District said the site covers about 161 acres, including roughly 31 acres of submerged land. It has described the acquisition as an opportunity to restore shoreline habitat, expand public access to the bay and introduce measures intended to improve resilience to flooding and rising sea levels.
The Trust for Public Land secured an option to buy the property from its Canadian owner earlier this year. The agreed purchase price is $175 million and includes the removal of existing above-ground structures.
The park district has already committed $20 million from voter-approved Measure WW funding, with the proposed state contribution intended to provide much of the remaining money needed for the purchase.
Officials stress that the $125 million would fund the acquisition rather than the construction, operation or long-term maintenance of the park. Detailed plans for recreation facilities, habitat restoration and public access are expected to be developed through a community consultation process after the land is transferred.
Under the current timetable, the Trust for Public Land must secure the full purchase funding by early 2027. Completion of the transaction and transfer to the park district are expected in spring 2027, after which Albany and Berkeley residents will be invited to help shape the site’s future.
Golden Gate Fields opened in 1941 and hosted horse racing for more than eight decades before closing permanently in June 2024. The property has remained vacant since then.
For local residents supporting the proposal, the transformation would provide much-needed open space on the East Bay shoreline. Colleen Haraden, who visits the area daily, said: “We need more open space and for people to get outside. I come here every day for my sanity.”
