Everyone assumed that the former Golden Gate Fields horse racing track, which closed permanently in 2024, would likely be redeveloped as housing, at least part of it anyway. But now a local environmental group has secured a deal to purchase the property and transform it into a public park.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced Tuesday that it had secured an option agreement for the 161-acre former Golden Gate Fields, with the deal likely to close next year at a purchase price of $175 million. The group says that once the deal is complete, it plans to transfer the entire property to the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD), for the creation of a new waterfront park.

The new park would sit beside several others, at the Berkeley-Albany border, west of I-80, including the Albany Bulb, Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, and McLaughlin East Shore State Park. And it would fill a gap that would connect a nearly continuous 10-mile waterfront stretch of public open space along the Bay.

"The opportunity to convert Golden Gate Fields to a fabulous shoreline park ... is a dream come true for the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors," says EBRPD Board Member Elizabeth Echols, in a statement.

Echols adds that "restoring the land to a more natural state will go a long way to protecting sensitive shoreline habitat not only for wildlife but also as a means to protect coastal residential communities from the impacts of our changing climate."

The large site, which had been in use as a racetrack since 1941, will give the parks district and the public the opportunity to create new recreation options in addition to preserving the shoreline.

Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii says she is "excited" by the prospects, and says in a statement, "From kayaking and kite flying to sunset dining, Berkeley’s waterfront parks are a treasured destination enjoyed by residents and visitors alike."

As Bay Area News Group reports, the East Bay Regional Parks District plans to hold a series of public meetings next year, assuming the deal goes through, to begin the process of creating a design plan for the new park.

The TPL would be purchasing the land from the Stronach Group, the Canadian horse racing company that has owned it since 1999. And part of the deal would reportedly include the removal of all the buildings, including the grandstand, stables, and worker housing.

The proposed park seems destined to sail through any approvals process, which would mean it could become a reality within a few years. Any proposal that involved housing or commercial development, especially if it meant obstructing waterfront views or impacting wildlife habitats, would likely have been held up in permitting for years.

As for where the $175 million will come from, the TPL now has the rest of the year to raise funds from private donors to cover the purchase price.

"Protecting land and creating parks at this scale takes time and deep collaboration," says Guillermo Rodriguez, TPL's vice president of the Pacific Region, and California State Director, in a statement.

The Trust for Public Land has over 900 active or completed public park projects under its belt, which includes over 540,000 acres across California. Those projects include India Basin in San Francisco, the city's new 65-acre public park along its formerly industrial waterfront, which opened in 2024.

"Golden Gate Fields offers a truly generational opportunity to reimagine a world-class bayside park for the Bay Area,” Rodriguez says. “With the East Bay Regional Park District and a wide range of public and community partners, we have the chance to expand shoreline access, restore vital ecosystems, and create a place where hundreds of thousands of residents can connect with the outdoors."

Previously: Talk of Redeveloping Golden Gate Fields Has Already Begun