|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Hoover Park is set for one of Redwood City’s most extensive park renovations in more than 30 years, bringing a splash pad, pickleball courts, new playgrounds, dog play zones and other upgrades to the city’s Friendly Acres neighborhood.
City officials gathered Monday to celebrate the start of the $11 million project, which began construction in January and is expected to wrap up in January 2027.
Originally built in 1966, Hoover Park sits between Spring Street, Charter Street, Woodside Road and Hilton Street. The park is shared by the City of Redwood City and the Redwood City School District and borders Hoover School and the Boys & Girls Club.
This 3.5-acre section of one of Redwood City’s largest parks will soon offer new recreational amenities, improved accessibility, and upgraded gathering spaces, including a splash pad and water spray play area, a fitness court, pickleball courts, a turf volleyball court, several playgrounds, and dog play zones.
The renovation costs $11 million, with $6.4 million coming from the City of Redwood City’s budget and the remainder funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Council member Isabella Chu, who represents the district that includes Hoover Park, attended the groundbreaking celebration Monday afternoon. She told the crowd that Hoover Park is on her walk from Friendly Acres to downtown and that the soccer fields are always “packed.”
“Hoover Park means so much to so many people, and this renovation is about making sure to serve this community even better,” Chu said.
Council member Marcella Padilla also spoke, noting her 12-year tenure on the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission.
“We knew we were park deficient, and we knew we had areas in our city that needed love and attention,” Padilla said. “To see dirt here and see construction happening is so meaningful.”
City Manager Patrick Heisinger walked attendees through the bureaucratic process that led to the groundbreaking, beginning with what he described as an “innocuous real estate transaction,” referring to the city’s acquisition, improvement and $8 million sale of the apartment complex at 1306 Main St.
By fixing up 1306 Main St., the city was able to help fund Hoover Park improvements and more than 100 affordable homes and units.
Stakeholders involved in shaping the project included Hoover School, the Boys & Girls Club, the Police Activities League and neighborhood association chairs from Friendly Acres, Redwood Village and Stambaugh-Heller.
Community outreach also helped shape the project’s design. More than 70% of community feedback in 2023 expressed support for the construction concept that the city ultimately approved in November 2025.
