Odds favor visionary shoreline park plan
Golden Gate Fields (GGF), a racetrack that closed in 2024, sits on San Francisco Bay one mile directly south of Point Isabel. It’s part of our recreation neighborhood: PI regulars also frequent Albany Beach, the Bulb, and Albany Plateau, which all abut GGF. The Bay Trail connects Point Isabel to the Albany waterfront.
In early 2026, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) secured an option to buy the old GGF property. If successful, TPL would then transfer the entire 161 acres to East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). TPL says the purchase will “expand shoreline access, restore vital ecosystems, and create a place where hundreds of thousands of residents can connect with the outdoors.”
Elizabeth Echols, EBRPD Board Member, Ward 1, says it’s a dream come true. (Ward 1 includes GGF, Point Isabel, and other parks.) According to Echols, “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.”
PIDO enthusiastically supports this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As stewards of Point Isabel for more than 40 years, we have seen firsthand how vital the shoreline parks are for people along our crowded urban coast. When Point Isabel Regional Shoreline was established in 1975 it was expected to serve as an off-the-beaten-path staging area for hikers or a quiet place to fish or picnic. Today PI gets an estimated 1.5 million human visits every year—up to 5,000 a day— and is the single-most-visited spot in the park district.
PIDO agrees with local realtor Mischa Lorraine’s recent comment on The Berkeley Scanner website: “The Bay is not a development opportunity. It is a commons.” TPL must exercise its option to buy GGF for $175 million by December 15. It is working to secure funding from the State of California, EBRPD, San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, and others.
If the sale goes through, EBRPD will engage the public in robust discussions about how the land and water will be used. PIDO will keep you informed so you can be part of that effort.
