Redwood City seeks input on future downtown park

in Community

The Redwood City community is asking residents to provide input on a future downtown park.

Fill out a 5-minute survey on the park project here.

The 1.5-acre park will be located on Middlefield Road and Main Street on areas currently occupied by Library Parking Lot A and Rosselli Garden.

The park is part of a “larger green urban recreational corridor that connects Downtown to the bay front,” according to the city.

The idea for a park adjacent to the Downtown Library began to take form in 2017 during a City Council discussion on implementing the Downtown Precise Plan, leading to a study on possible downtown locations for a new park, Library Director Derek Wolfgram noted in recent Library newsletter.

“The site adjacent to the Downtown Library where Rosselli Park and Library Parking Lot A currently exist was selected as the first Downtown Park location, and the beginning of a corridor of park space that will connect Downtown all the way to the Bay Trail,” Wolfgram said, adding that the Library has been “integral partners on the planning team.”

The aim is to create “a family-friendly multigenerational shared outdoor recreation space in the heart of the city,” Wolfgram said. “We see many opportunities for synergy between the Library’s programs and services and the new park, and we hope to create a seamless transition between the library building and the outdoors that is accessible to visitors of all abilities.”

Wolfgram noted concerns in the community about the impacts of the park on reduced parking spaces near the Library. But he added there are currently ample parking spaces near the Library during Library hours, not to mention garage space downtown on evenings and weekends.

“We will be very attentive to preserving accessible parking options for the Library and the new park, and we are certain that the park will enhance the community’s experience of the library and the Downtown as a whole,” Wolfgram said.

Redwood City park officials are accepting responses to their community survey until July 15.

The survey asks residents to chime in on how to make Rosselli Park more active, and what they’d like to see and do at the future park, such as Library programs, fitness features, city and restaurant events, children’s activities, chess and even WiFi for outdoor remote working. Ideas in the survey include bocce courts, ping pong tables, children’s play structures, possibly a splash pad, or a fitness loop, picnic area and more. The survey also includes ideas on safety features for the park.

Image provided by the City of Redwood City