West Berkeley Brownfield to Neighborhood Park

The City of Berkeley's Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department is preparing a grant application to support the creation of a new park at a vacant brownfield site near Allston Way and N Valley Street. A brownfield is a property where past use has left behind contamination that can complicate reuse of the site. Historical pesticide use has resulted in soil contamination, requiring environmental cleanup before it can be converted into public open space.

The lot is approximately 15,000 square feet, similar in size to the two basketball courts at Strawberry Creek Park or about twice as large as nearby Charlie Dorr Park.

Grant opportunities like this don’t come along often, and the City is excited to have the chance to pursue funding for another new public park. The Santa Fe Trackbed to Park Conversion project, which will create a new four block park in Southwest Berkeley, was funded through a similar grant and is anticipated to open in August 2027.

To receive project updates, email echan@berkeleyca.gov or srutherford@berkeleyca.gov using the subject line: “Please add me to West Berkeley Brownfield to Neighborhood Park email list."

Community Engagement Opportunities

The project is soliciting feedback from residents and community groups on which amenities they would like to see in a potential neighborhood park on this site. 

Draft concepts and possible features for this proposed park emerged from community feedback via public meetings, an earlier survey, and neighborhood events. Refer to the Engagement Map for the project location (look for the star). 

Community members are encouraged to review the Draft Concept Options, complete the survey, and/or participate in the in-person engagement opportunities below.

Complete the Survey