Candlestick Point State Recreation Area FAQs
What site improvements are included in Candlestick Point State Recreation Area’s General Plan?
California State Parks is actively planning for site improvements at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area (SRA). Improvements include upgrades to lighting, restrooms, utilities, trails, and parking lots, as well as the creation of new recreational facilities such as a boating center and windsurfing launch ramp.
The architectural plans for this work are being informed by a shoreline stabilization study that was recently completed. This shoreline stabilization study was done to determine how to best protect the SRA from wind and wave action, as well as sea level rise, and to inform design of the site improvements. The study projects how the direction of wave patterns might impact the land, given a variety of different sea level rise scenarios over the next 50 years. At this point, the study is still in draft form with revisions ongoing. We will release it to the public as soon as we are able.
More information can be found at our General Plan for the park.
Where is Candlestick Point SRA in the Planning and Building Process?
Currently, Parks is in year two of its preliminary planning phase of implementing the General Plan and will move into the working drawings phase next. The State has invested $2.66 million dollars from Prop 68 towards this first phase and has estimated construction of this phase to cost approximately $40 million. Because of the status of the State’s budget, we are not sure when we will be able to advance to the working drawings phase. We will update the public as soon as we have more information.
Are there other site improvements in the works outside of the General Plan implementation?
In addition to the capital outlay projects outlined in prior budget acts, the Department recently allocated and additional $2 million to Candlestick Point SRA through the California State Parks’ Waterways Connection Initiative. These monies have just been allocated to us, and we are working Gto encumber these funds. We will inform the community when we have a more accurate timeline to share.
With this money, State Parks will:
- Fix the public restrooms.
- Restore light to the parking lots.
- Replace picnic tables, fire rings, and grills.
- Rehabilitate the second fishing pier.
- Acquire new kayaks and fishing equipment to expand the recreation opportunities.
How will Candlestick Point SRA be affected by the eventual development of the land where the stadium used to be?
State Parks has an agreement with the City of San Francisco’s Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) for land transfers and related considerations for the transfers as authorized in SB 792 in 2009. There will be city infrastructure such as outfalls and street lighting on Park property and park boundaries will change.
Given that OCII is the lead in the area’s development, State Parks will cooperate with the City’s schedule so that work is not redone in designing the park boundary area, given that there will be significant grade changes given sea level rise considerations.
Where will funding come to complete the work outlined in the General Plan?
Funding will come from the land transfer considerations, the state budget, and outside fundraising for grants and donations. When the planning process is further developed, we plan to continue work with our partners such as Literacy for Environmental Justice, the State Park Foundation, Parks California, and the community at large on fundraising strategies for specific elements of the new design.
Are any improvements to the access around the state park in the works (ie, the shared entrance to the VTC area from HPE)?
The city of San Francisco has agreed to repave the temporary access road that we have been using to enter the park since May 2023.
What is going on at Yosemite Slough?
The northern end of Candlestick Point SRA surrounds Yosemite Slough, a wetland that is an important stopover for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway. In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Slough a Superfund Site due to hazardous sediment present in the mud. See here for more information.
State Parks is coordinating with the EPA and other parties for continued testing and remediation planning, according to the EPA process. The clean-up will entail removing contaminated mud and adding clean materials to lower the risk from these chemicals. Remediation is not planned until 2028. The EPA will be leading messaging with the community in the near term with State Park’s cooperation.
Last updated 2/8/2024