Environmental Group Secures Deal to Buy Golden Gate

A nonprofit environmental group, Trust for Public Land, working in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, announced March 31 that it has secured an option agreement with The Stronach Group to acquire Golden Gate Fields. The deal, which was reported to be worth $175 million by The Mercury News, will give TPL the opportunity to transform the 161-acre property into a public park with community-serving recreational amenities along the San Francisco Bay. TPL intends to work with partners to acquire the property and transfer it to the East Bay Regional Park District for long-term ownership and stewardship. "Golden Gate Fields offers a truly generational opportunity to reimagine a world-class bayside park for the Bay Area," TPL's vice president Pacific Region and California state director Guillermo Rodriguez said in a press release. "With the East Bay Regional Park District and a wide range of public and community partners, we have the chance to expand shoreline access, restore vital ecosystems, and create a place where hundreds of thousands of residents can connect with the outdoors." The Golden Gate property includes about 1 mile of bayfront land and sits alongside several existing parks. Once the new park is created, the parks will form roughly 8.5 miles of connected public shoreline. Golden Gate Fields first opened in 1941 and had been owned by The Stronach Group since 1999. Located across the bay from the Golden Gate bridge in Albany and Berkeley, Golden Gate hosted its final horse race June 9, 2024.