This afternoon, Rincon Hill will officially gain a new half-acre public park as the Emerald Fund will permanently relinquish its development rights to the open space in front of Rincon Green at 333 Harrison, the green will be renamed Emerald Park.
While the Emerald Fund will continue to fund the maintenance and upkeep, the San Francisco Parks Alliance will act as steward of the park. In addition, a children’s play area which was part of the original park design will be completed by the end of the year.
Great news. Will the fence around the park be torn down?
Let’s hope the neighborhood homeless don’t take root here
No the fence will not be removed. A year-long extensive neighborhood planning process, led by independent parks advocate Isabel Wade, resulted in the park design. The neighbors specified that the park be fenced.
As you know, when you go to France, all urban parks are fenced and closed at night. There is no legitimate reason to be in a park in the wee hours of the morning. English parks were also all fenced until WWII, when they fences were melted down for armaments.
Most cities in the US and in the world have specified hours of park closing, whether fenced or not. Supervisor Weiner has proposed this logical law for SF. A fence with locking gates is simply a logical way to enforce night-time closings.
If that qualifies as a park, what’s next? A 150 sq foot hell hole being called an apartment? Whaaa?
ECOO: I kinda agree with you. The idea of spending time outside here with the noise and pollution of the bay bridge is not very appealing. However if done properly parks around a commuter bridge can work very well. (Check out the Sydney Harbor Bridge for example.) It does also serve a purpose for the people who live in the Rincon Hill neigborhood. They have virtually no green space so I’m sure they will welcome anything.
Second ECOO. I thought this was the front lawn of the development.
I read in the Chronicle that since the City did not have funds to maintain the park, that Rincon Green would maintain the park and, therefore, limit access to residents of the building. Is that the case? (By the way, I sat in the park for a few minutes the other day, and I found it quite pleasant, despite the Highway and the construction across Freemont).
[Editor’s Note: That’s incorrect and not the case.]
It is December and there is still a sign outside the fence indicating that entrance into the park is for residents only. Are they planning to take that down?
When will the children’s play area be completed and open to the public’s children?
Uhm…..”a children’s play area which was part of the original park design will be completed by the end of the year.”
Nice naming job…sounds like double speak “Emerald Park”.
I think is was a Moody Blues song that said it best…”breath deeply the gathering plumes…..” or was it fumes????
A children’s play ground??? Right next to one of the most traveled bridges in the country,your kidding???…..Uhm, I guess it only makes sense $$$ at that location because there’s…no tire dust there…no brake dust there….no Diesel particulates there…no noise pollution there…no Nox fumes there…..no shadows there….it’s sooooo pristine…so green….such a respite from all the urban pollution….”Emerald Park”….get it…lol. Can’t think of a better spot in the city for a children’s play ground.
Who’s idea was this anyway? Did anyone see that box next to the gate with the pollution face mask…..where did that box go…???