Let’sPlaySF! Initiative (2012 Bond)

Background

Let’sPlaySF! has its origins in the $195 million San Francisco Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks General Obligation Bond approved by 71.6% of voters in November 2012. The Bond allocated $15.5 million to renovate dilapidated playgrounds through the City.

In 2014, the Recreation and Park Commission appointed a Citizen Task Force to determine which playgrounds were most in need of renovation. The Task Force prioritized six Tier 1 and seven Tier 2 playgrounds for renovation based on four criteria: (1) the presence of Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Pressure Treated Wood, (2) low Household Median Income, (3) high Youth Density and (4) low Playground Report Card Grades.

In December 2014, the Recreation and Park Commission unanimously adopted the list recommended by the Task Force, of which the Department committed to renovate all six Tier 1 playgrounds and to renovate some or all Tier 2 playgrounds provided if additional funding were procured.

In the wake of that determination, in 2016, the Department launched the Let’sPlaySF! Initative , a public-private partnership dedicated to raising sufficient funds to ensure that all 13 playgrounds could be reimagined for San Francisco’s children.

Program Status

The initiative has fully completed 11 of 13 playgrounds and they are open to the public.

Of the two remaining playgrounds, Stern Grove began construction in late 2024 and slated to open in Mid-2025. Buchanan Street Mall Playground has been incorporated into a larger renovation of the park. This project began construction in summer 2025 and slated to open in 2026.

For status updates on the individual sites, click on a project:

Status of Tier 1 Sites - All Tier 1 sites are completed and open to the public.

Status of Tier 2 Sites:

Project Updates

If you would like to sign-up for Project Update blog posts like the ones below, click here , scroll down to the News Flash section, and then select “RPD Park Improvements | All Project Updates” to receive updates on all our active projects, or pick-and-choose your blog subscriptions by project name. You’ll receive an email that includes a link to confirm your new subscription for each blog for which you sign-up.

Project Update Blog

Buchanan Street Mall | REMINDER: Workforce Development Community Meeting, this Thursday, 8/21 at 2pm

REMINDER: Workforce Development Community Meeting, this Thursday, August 21 at 2pm at Rosa Parks Senior Center on Buchanan Mall (at Golden Gate Ave.). Come learn more about job opportunities, training, and employment support. For the Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction update, August 2025

Construction is currently focused on specialized sewer work, surface demolition, and careful investigations to locate and protect existing utilities. The project team has completed the second of three 48-hour sewer lining operations, where a Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | REMINDER: Night work scheduled for August 11 and 12

DAY AND NIGHT WORK REMINDER: Sewer and construction work will be continuous for 48 hours from August 11-13. This includes two evenings of night work (August 11 & 12). The contractor will Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Saturday work scheduled for August 9

NOTICE OF WEEKEND WORK: There will be on-site construction work this Saturday. The contractor will follow all noise ordinance requirements. DAY AND NIGHT WORK REMINDER: Sewer and construction work will be continuous for 48 hours from August 11-13. This Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Workforce development update, August 7, 2025

For the past two years, we have partnered with Success Centers, a hyper-local community-based workforce nonprofit dedicated to connecting local Western Addition and Fillmore residents with trade job opportunities, training, and employment support for Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Night work scheduled for August 11 and 12

Notice of Night Work: Please be advised that there will be 48 hours of continuous construction activity from Monday, August 11, 7 a.m. to Wednesday, August 13, 7 a.m. Work will be performed on the sewer between Turk St. and Eddy St. Sewer lining work must Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, August 2025

There has been an unforeseen delay in the installation of the safety surfacing at the playground. This will push the playground’s reopening to sometime in September. We will follow up with more information once an opening date is Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Workforce development update

Thanks to the nearly thirty people who stopped by office hours yesterday. Rec and Park and Success Centers staff shared information about the various workforce development initiatives that are in place on the Buchanan Street Mall Renovation project as Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Workforce development

We’re hosting workforce development-focused office hours this Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 10:30am at Rosa Parks Senior Center computer lab. We encourage everyone to attend to learn more about our workforce development initiatives and about Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, July 2025

We’re excited to report that the new playground’s final piece of custom play equipment – the large, curved, metal slide – arrived on July 16 and installation of the slide is now underway. Our contractor is also working to complete the Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | REMINDER: Night work scheduled for July 22 & July 23

Notice of Night Work: Please be advised that there will be 48 hours of continuous construction activity from July 22, 7 a.m. to July 24, 7 a.m. Cured-in-place lining work will be completed on the sewer between Fulton and McAllister on Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Night work scheduled for July 22 & July 23

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction update, July 2025

Construction fences are now in place on the four southern-most blocks, from Grove St to Turk Street. Construction fencing will be installed on the northernmost block between Turk Street and Eddy Street starting next Monday, July 7. All doors and Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, June 2025

All play equipment is now installed, except for one piece of custom play equipment that will be delivered to the site soon. In the meantime, the construction team is preparing the new pedestrian pathways for paving. Construction is progressing nicely, and Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction update, June 2025

Construction at Buchanan Street Mall is making great progress! Major work has been focused on carefully mapping and assessing existing utilities, and refining our plans for health and safety, site logistics, and traffic control. There has also been some Read on…

Capital Project Update Opens in new window

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, May 2025

The playground continues to take shape with the installation of the playground towers and other climbing elements. We are looking forward to wrapping up construction this summer Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction update, May 2025

Our contractor has mobilized, and tree work has begun at Buchanan Street Mall. Tree work on the southern blocks is well underway, with a cluster of pine trees south of McAllister to be removed next week. Tree work will continue progressing to the Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction update - Tree Removals and Construction Fencing in early May

PLEASE BE ADVISED: Tree work and tree removal will begin at Buchanan Street Mall the week of May 5. This work is expected to take approximately 2 weeks. Tree work will happen between 7am - 3pm. Expect to see barriers around work zones, marked detours for Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, April 2025

The second shipment of custom play equipment was received last week, and the final delivery is expected within the next two weeks. On-site installation of catch basins is currently underway, and the construction team continues to make steady progress on Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Calling Artists (who have strong ties to the Fillmore)

You are invited to submit an application for your art to be considered for the Buchanan Street Mall Memory Walk! Applications are due on May 23, 2025, by 5:00 pm. The initiative includes art that honors the neighborhood’s rich history, culture and Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Construction begins at Buchanan Street Mall

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the groundbreaking on March 27th! It was a beautiful celebration for and with the Fillmore community. We’re excited to share this milestone moment with you. After more than 10 years of visioning, planning, and Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, March 2025

The first shipment of the custom play equipment has been received, and the contractor is preparing the site to install the same Read on…

Buchanan Street Mall | Mayor Lurie Breaks Ground on Renovation of Buchanan Street Mall

Long-Anticipated Project Marks the Culmination of a Partnership Between the City and Fillmore Community. Community Space Will Celebrate the History of the Neighborhood While Marking a New Chapter for Western Addition. Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, February 2025

The contractor is currently installing gopher wires between the boulders and preparing to install the permeable rock base for the play area. There has been a delay in the delivery of the custom play equipment due to the snowstorms in Toronto but the Read on…

Let’sPlaySF! Initiative | Let’sPlaySF! Playground Survey extended to Friday, February 28!

Survey extended through the end of February! Thanks to the successful Let’sPlaySF! Initiative funded by the 2012 Park Bond, SF Parks Alliance, and philanthropic partners we are renovating 13 dilapidated playgrounds across our city. With 11 playgrounds Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, January 2025

The contractor is currently focused on replacing the fencing along Sloat Avenue and completing the final stages of boulder placement within the playground Read on…

Let’sPlaySF! Initiative | REMINDER: Let’sPlaySF! Playground Survey open through January 31

Thanks to the successful Let’sPlaySF! Initiative funded by the 2012 Park Bond, SF Parks Alliance, and philanthropic partners we are renovating 13 dilapidated playgrounds across our city. With 11 playgrounds already beautifully renovated and two more Read on…

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, December 2024

The contractor is installing the boulder border at the edge of the playground and constructing the wooden boardwalk. Next step will be installing the playground equipment in early 2025 Read on…

Let’sPlaySF! Initiative | Take the Let’sPlaySF! Playground Survey open through January 31, 2025

Stern Grove Playground Renovation | Construction update, November 2024

Since our last update in October, the contractor is pouring concrete for the boardwalk footings and working on the tiered seating that connects the lawn to the playground Read on…

Additional Background

The Task Force

The Task Force, which was appointed by the Recreation and Park Commission on April 17, 2014, includes a Rec Park Commissioner, leaders from children’s advocacy and parent organizations, children and family service organizations, and citywide open space organizations along with volunteers from the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC) and RPD’s GreenAgers program.

The Task Force met seven times and included substantial public participation. After much discussion and analysis, the Task Force unanimously approved a list of 13 playgrounds to be prioritized for renovation, divided into two tiers. The Task Force recommends that all playgrounds containing Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Pressure-Treated Wood be first prioritized for renovation. The division of such playgrounds into Tiers was based on low Household Median Income (HMI), high Youth Density, and low Park Report Card grades.

The Task Force was challenged to identify criteria for Failing Playgrounds and apply it to playgrounds throughout the city. The Task Force made recommendations to the Recreation and Park Commission on playgrounds to prioritize for future renovations. Criteria that the Task Force considered included the following:

2010 Census Data
Analysis of disabled access
Controller’s Office Proposition C evaluation data
Evaluation of open space and playground deficient neighborhoods
Parks Playground Report Card
The Physical Condition of the Sites
Presence of Pressure-Treated Lumber
San Francisco Unified School District playground locations

Bond Report

View the full Bond Report (PDF) .

Documents and Materials

Key Documents

Meeting Materials

Task Force Meeting Number 1

Task Force Meeting Number 2

Task Force Meeting Number 3

Task Force Meeting Number 4

Task Force Meeting Number 5

Task Force Meeting Number 6

Task Force Meeting Number 7

Task Force Members

Katie Albright

Executive Director

San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center

Julia Brashares

Director of Street Parks

SF Parks Alliance

Chelsea Boilard

Director of Programs

Coleman Advocates

Alejandra Chiesa

Project Manager - Parks for People

Trust for Public Land

Rob Connolly

President

Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco

Anthony Cuadro

D7 Representative

PROSAC

Dawn Kamalanathan

Director of Planning and Capital Management

SF Recreation and Park Department

Eric McDonnell

Commissioner

Recreation and Parks Commission

Doreen Pacini

Youth Representative

GreenAgers

Albert Ko

Executive Vice President

SF Parent Teacher Association

Michelle Parker

VP Communications