Mayor Lurie Cuts Ribbon at San Francisco's Newest Park, Celebrates Activation of Another Public Space

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today cut the ribbon on the new Cityside Park on Treasure Island, with a great lawn for events and recreation, a pedestrian plaza designed to host food trucks, markets, and other events, and a BBQ plaza with picnic spots and grilling stations. The park will be the first stop for visitors arriving to the island by ferry, offering sweeping views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Area bridges.

The newest park in San Francisco continues Mayor Lurie’s work to improve public spaces and drive the city’s recovery. Last month, Mayor Lurie broke ground on the final phase of the India Basin Waterfront Park project, which will add a new park on the city’s southeastern waterfront. Earlier in his administration, he signed legislation establishing five new entertainment zones across the city and launched another in the Castro, activating public spaces and revitalizing neighborhoods. This year, San Francisco’s tourism industry is seeing real momentum, with visitor volume and spending in San Francisco growing since last year, and hotel rooms and convention center bookings nearly 65% higher than in 2024. 

“Cityside Park and the community rising around it show us what is possible when San Francisco builds for the future. We know that open space and housing can grow together, and our city is at its strongest when we come together to create places like this,” said Mayor Lurie. “This park will be a front yard for the families and residents who call this island home and will welcome visitors from across the country to see some of the best views of the greatest city in the world.”

At the park opening, Treasure Island Community Development (TICD) and local food truck sensation Off the Grid launched “Off the Grid Treasure Island,” a new weekly market series running every Saturday through November 1. The series features more than 15 food trucks and pop-up restaurants, family-friendly activities, including lawn games, face painting, activity kits, and special experiential performances, and live music performances.

Cityside Park will be a key feature of a new neighborhood under development on Treasure Island. Plans for the new development underway include 8,000 new homes for 18,000 residents, 300 acres of parks, trails, and open space, new restaurants and shops, and public art installations. Once complete, the 300 acres of new public parks, trails, and open space will represent the largest expansion of open space in San Francisco since the creation of Golden Gate Park. Nearly 1,000 homes are now open or under construction on Treasure Island and neighboring Yerba Buena Island with more than 1,200 market-rate and affordable units set to be completed by the end of 2025.

“The opening of Cityside Park marks an important new chapter for Treasure Island,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “As thousands of new residents move into their homes, this park will be a central gathering place that connects people to each other and to the iconic views of San Francisco, and it firmly establishes Treasure Island as part of District 6’s growing reputation for world-class parks and open spaces.”

TICD built the nearly six-acre phase one section of Cityside Park at a cost of $12 million. The first phase also includes nearly an acre of stormwater treatment gardens integrated through a series of basins and channels with plantings found in bay area freshwater wetlands. Subsequent phases will add another 16 acres to Cityside Park, stretching the length of the island's western shoreline.

“As we prepare for thousands of new residents to make their home on the island, we are building not just new housing, but parks, trails, and open space where families and neighbors can gather, play, and take in the unparalleled beauty of the bay together,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “Parks like this bring our communities together. I am grateful to my team at the Treasure Island Development Authority and our partners at Treasure Island Community Development for making this vision a reality.”

“A key consideration in planning for the future of Treasure Island has been to open up the island to all residents of the Bay Area through a network of world-class parks and open spaces,” said Treasure Island Development Authority Director Robert Beck. “Today’s opening is the first installment in the construction of a Cityside Park which will ultimately run the full length of the western shoreline with unparalleled views of the bridges, islands, and skylines that make the Bay Area so unique. We are excited to celebrate this milestone as a glimpse into the promise and potential of the island.”

“Cityside Park will be one of the world’s most photographed park settings where residents and visitors will be able to picnic, play, and take in a concert, art fair, or movie screening,” said Chris Meany, Co-CEO of TICD and Managing Partner at Wilson Meany. “For residents of Treasure Island, this is their front yard, and for visitors, it offers unforgettable vistas of marquee attractions circling the Bay Area.”  

Built by TICD, Cityside Park is a public park that will initially be managed and maintained by Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA)—a city agency that oversees Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island—until it formally joins the San Francisco Recreation and Parks system.

The park was designed by San Francisco-based CMG Landscape Architecture.

“Cityside Park provides a unique combination of amenities and environmentally sustainable features along the immediate shoreline and as part of the interior design,” said CMG Principal Kevin Conger.

The Bay Area women’s professional soccer team, Bay FC, will soon break ground on a training facility on Treasure Island that will open in 2027. Additionally, new roads, bike lanes, utilities, sea level rise protections, and geotechnical improvements are completed or underway, and a new ferry terminal provides daily service to and from downtown San Francisco. All of this, along with existing restaurants, the marina, sports venues, and more, are bringing new energy to the city’s newest neighborhood.

Sustainable design is a central feature of the entire project, with innovative infrastructure integrated throughout both Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. Yerba Buena Island is now home to the Bay Area’s largest stormwater treatment gardens, which help filter rainwater before it reaches the bay while also supporting native wildlife habitats. These include a 12-acre garden and a 25-acre garden, both completed in late 2022. 

Yerba Buena Island also features unique open spaces like The Rocks Dog Park and two scenic overlooks—Signal Point and Infinity—which offer sweeping views of the Bay Area. Infinity Park is also home to “Point of Infinity,” a 69-foot sculpture by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.