India Basin Waterfront Park 2024 FAQs
Can I swim at India Basin?
Swimming is not advised due to the shallow mudflat conditions of the basin, cold water temperatures and unpredictable currents. Wading is permitted at your own risk in designated areas. If you’re in the water, please keep 300 feet away from piers and vessels.
Can I fish at India Basin?
Fishing is allowed at India Basin Waterfront Park in designated areas. Harmful chemicals such as mercury and PCBs can be found in some fish in San Francisco Bay. For more information on guidelines, please visit the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s website at this link.
What is the timeline of the project?
The India Basin Waterfront Park Project is divided into three phases:
Phase 1: Remediation of 900 Innes completed August 2022.
Phase 2: Construction of 900 Innes began in September 2022 and is scheduled for completion in Spring 2024.
Phase 3: Construction of India Basin Shoreline Park is scheduled to begin in Summer 2024 and is expected to be completed in Summer 2026.
What is the total cost of India Basin Waterfront Park Initiative?
The overall budget for the project is $200 million which includes the design and construction for the 900 Innes Remediation Project, the 900 Innes Park Development Project, the renovation of India Basin Shoreline Park, and creation and implementation of the Equitable Development Plan (EDP).
How has the project created jobs for the local community and what is being done to ensure the community retains these jobs throughout the project’s duration?
Building a world class park in the heart of the Bayview should benefit those who currently live and work in San Francisco’s southeastern neighborhoods. That means job recruitment, training, and opportunities for local people and businesses.
Representatives from more than 40 companies attended a Local Business Enterprise outreach event and site walk hosted by project contractor Swinerton Builders in partnership with the Recreation and Park Department and APRI.
Swinerton invited more than 367 local subcontractors to bid on the project, resulting in more than 102 bid submissions. At least two bids were received in each trade. Most received more than three bids.
The contract includes 20 individual companies located in close proximity to the project with a spend of over $20 million. Contract values range from $15,000 to over $4 million.
Swinerton will place five graduates from the workforce development program, a component of the EDP, to work on the 900 Innes construction project in 2023, and 10 more graduates in 2024.
What contaminants were found at the project site?
At the start of the project, 900 Innes was a post-industrial brownfield due to a long history of ship building and vessel repair. It had high levels of metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil and water.
The cleanup removed the contaminated soil and sediment left behind from the site’s industrial past. It also removed contaminated shore debris, old structures, and worn-out concrete so that the area could be developed into a park with a healthy shoreline.
The Shipwright's Cottage, built in 1875 as the centerpiece of union wooden boat building, was protected and cleared of hazardous materials and will be fully restored as part of the park.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board oversaw the remediation, which also included a cleanup of the shoreline waters, including installation of a coffer dam, targeted excavation of several feet of soil within the intertidal and subtidal zone, and placement of a sand cap to avoid disturbing current sediment.
Read the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) at this link.
What is the size of the future India Basin Waterfront Park?
The India Basin Waterfront Park will be a 10-acre park that combines the existing India Basin Shoreline Park and the 900 Innes property that neighbors it. The resulting park will fill a critical gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail. The India Basin shoreline is 1½ miles long and has seven properties totaling 64 acres, with six of them currently in development. The park will be located in the middle of the shoreline.
What actions have been taken to promote water safety among the local communities?
We want every single child who lives in Bayview-Hunters Point to be safe and confident in the water. In partnership with the YMCA of SF, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department provides free learn- to-swim programs and free transportation to lessons for youth in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Learn more about the Bayview Safety Swim & Splash program at this link.
What has been the community’s involvement throughout the development of the project?
The Bayview-Hunters Point community shaped both the design and goals of the park. Over two years, community leaders worked with project partners to establish the Equitable Development Plan (EDP).
The EDP lays out a series of commitments from project partners to ensure the waterfront park will benefit current Bayview-Hunters Point residents while preserving the culture and identity of the historic
neighborhood. It provides a blueprint for delivering a park designed by and for the community while improving economic opportunity and environmental health for its residents.
How was the project designed to address climate change?
The project was designed to improve ecology along the shoreline and adapt to future sea level rise. The design team used information on wave action, water level, tidal datums, and settlement distribution to identify areas for diverse habitat and create a natural edge that would adjust to sea level rise.
Naturalized areas along the shoreline will also reduce the impact of severe storms on the park. Open space and recreational areas will be elevated to prevent flooding for several years following construction. The project follows state guidance to build projects that are resilient to mid-century projections of sea level rise.
How is the water quality monitored?
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) monitors the water at publicly accessible beaches for water quality and bacterial risks. In some cases, notices are posted and beaches are closed based on results. Read more about the SFPUC’s water quality monitoring at this link.