Over a 100 community members crowded a standing-room-only Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) meeting last Thursday to share their ideas about how to develop a 24 acre former East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) property into Castro Valley’s newest park.

The parcel, also referred to as the “Former Redwood Filtration Plant” site, generally is bordered by Carlton Ave., Stanton Ave., and Sydney Way, and was last considered for park space under the failed 2006 HARD “Measure Q” bond. Had Measure Q passed, HARD residents would have been assessed over $30 million in order to purchase this property and improve some others sites in the park district.

At the time of the ballot proposal, there were some preliminary meetings with the community, and three design options were discussed for the proposed park.

• Shaving off the top of the hillside and creating several flat acres for soccer/baseball fields.
• Keeping the site as is and developing a more “natural” park.
• A third design included an amphitheater for performances and concerts.

The purchase price to build the park in 2006 was $15.5 million. When the Measure Q failed, a developer offered $16.6 Million for the site and proposed to build over 100 homes. However, the economic downturn and the collapse in the housing market resulted in that project being abandoned.

Last year, HARD reached agreement to purchase the property for $5.6 million, almost $10 million less than the price that HARD would have paid had Measure Q passed.

The community tells HARD what its wants

Nine years later, the community is again imagining what to do with the space.

At last week’s meeting, there were several youth soccer and baseball proponents who wanted sport fields on the site.  Using the space for sports fields seemed to be the most popular idea at the meeting, in contrast to residents in the surrounding neighborhood, who wanted to see little to no improvement on the property.

The moderator, Jeff Ferber  from RRM designs started the meeting off by explaining that no decisions were to be made at this meeting. It was not intended to be a debate, but simply a meeting to hear ideas for what to do with the site.

Ferber pointed out that whatever ends up happening, the park will not have everything that people want.  Some people will be disappointed, but the hope is to find something that will benefit the community as a whole.

There will be a series of alternatives presented, and until they finalize a “Master Plan” which includes funding, no timetables could be determined.  This meeting was designed to set the tone for the alternative designs that RRM designs presents to HARD and the community.

Ferber explained that his group met with many of the immediate neighbors the night before to discuss the site and hear their concerns.  He showed some pictures and a topographical map of the site to emphasize the size and existing conditions which include some very steep hillsides.  Many of the neighbors were also at this Thursday night meeting and expressed their desire to minimize traffic, preserve the open space, and avoid night lighting.

One resident was particularly worried about the “out of town people” who would come to the new park and “walk through his backyard.” Another neighbor mentioned the natural springs on the site and the water runoff issues which might be involved with the project.  A different neighbor wondered whether this park should be restricted to the neighborhood residents.

Many of the people at the meeting emphasized the need for sports fields in Castro Valley.  Youth baseball and soccer leagues do not have adequate practice and playing fields and participation in both sports are growing, these advocates said. Many soccer families have to travel to Union City and Pleasanton to find fields to play soccer.  Some people pointed out that adults in town need space for their fields as well as youths.

Access points and parking were discussed a few times, and people asked for pedestrian access and to consider the neighbors when parking and traffic patterns are proposed.  Some people requested buffer zones between the park and the neighbors to minimize lighting and noise.

Several people requested bathrooms. It was pointed out that while Parsons Park was designed without bathrooms to minimize pedestrian traffic in the neighborhood, visitors to the park often relieve themselves in the bushes because of the lack of bathrooms.

Additional requests included space dedicated to native plants and bird habitats, as well as a perimeter hiking trail.  Some people pointed out that if this site is going to be developed into a park, it should include sidewalks in the neighborhood to encourage safe pedestrian traffic to and from the site.

Capturing the community’s ideas

After everyone was given a chance to speak, their points were written on large whiteboards and everyone was given a series of stickers so they could prioritize the elements that were most important to them. As you can see from these pictures, the overwhelming majority of votes were for sports fields.

The next step will be to consider the results of the “voting” by the community, and then return with some ideas.  This will be a lengthy process, there is not currently finding to build a park at the site, but the project will come before the Municipal Advisory Council, where Castro Valley residents will have another opportunity to share their vision for our community’s newest park.

What’s you vision for Castro Valley’s newest park? Share your thoughts below in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter with hashtag #CVPark.