San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced a $25 million donation from the John Pritzker Family Fund to support the India Basin Park Restoration Project. The gift is the single largest private donation in history to a San Francisco park and will kickstart the remediation, community engagement, design and construction phases of the project, which will renovate three City-owned sites to create a unified waterfront park space in San Francisco’s southeastern neighborhood.  

“This park is an important investment in the Bayview Hunters Point community and a big step in creating equity when it comes to healthy neighborhoods in our city,” said Mayor Breed. “All San Franciscans deserve a beautiful, safe place to gather, exercise and play. This donation will help achieve a measure of environmental justice for our southeastern neighborhoods and create a beautiful new space for generations to come.”

The India Basin Restoration Project consists of the renovation of a vacant industrial lot at 900 Innes Avenue, as well as underutilized park areas at India Basin Open Space and India Basin Shoreline Park. The project will unite the three sites into a 10-acre park designed to connect the Bay Trail and provide recreational activities for residents and visitors. The project also includes the restoration of tidal marsh and wildlife habitat, and an Equitable Park Development Plan to provide jobs and workforce development opportunities for local residents.

“Transforming an urban environment for public good can be one of our most challenging, yet rewarding actions, and as some of you know, this community has awaited the beautification of this industrial landscape for years,” said State Board of Equalization Chair Malia Cohen, who championed the project during her time on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “‘Reimagining Urbanism’ has been the guiding principle for India Basin. Today is just an example of the steps being taken to fulfill the promise to this community, of providing open recreational space for the southeast neighborhoods. I am very pleased to support this development and am excited about the positive impact it will have on this growing neighborhood for the decades to come.”

“This donation is an investment in the heart of our community. Parks are where we make memories with our families, where our children learn to run and climb, and where neighbors become friends,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton. “This is a chance to create a Chrissy Field of the southeast while honoring the arts, culture, and traditions of the Bayview Hunters Point community.”

There are thousands of units of public and affordable housing that either exist or are planned within a mile of the future park. The project will galvanize job development in the neighborhood by partnering with local non-profits training local youth and adults in remediation, construction, and more.

“Public access and community connection are at the heart of this plan and at the heart of this gift,” said Recreation and Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “Funding this project means creating livable communities with green space and incredible recreational options. It means residents of public housing will be connected with the coastline. It means neighbors can gather for picnics or learn to canoe or kayak while children take lessons in boat building.”

The $25 million grant will specifically support the renovation, design, and construction of the spaces at 900 Innes Avenue and India Basin Shoreline Park, which will be led by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. It comes approximately two weeks after the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority approved a $5 million grant to remediate and restore the soft-bottom intertidal and subtidal habitat and remove dilapidated structures at 900 Innes Avenue. The Authority disburses grant money earmarked by voters through Measure AA to preserve the San Francisco Bay and its shorelines.

“This gift brings us closer to our longtime dream of a unified open space that honors longtime residents, welcomes new ones, and provides a gathering space that draws people from across San Francisco and beyond,” said Maya Rodgers, co-founder of Parks 94124.

"The India Basin Waterfront Project isn't just a commitment to the health of people in southeast neighborhoods, it's a commitment to using their talent and skills. Everyone should be able to share in San Francisco's thriving economy," said Jacqueline Flin, Executive Director of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute.

The India Basin Park Restoration Project, passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in October 2018, is a collaboration between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Build Inc, the Trust for Public Land, and the San Francisco Parks Alliance, Parks 94124, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Young Community Developers, the India Basin Neighborhood Association and many other neighborhood and park serving organizations.