Emerald Fund donates conserved half‑acre for 'Emerald Park' in Rincon Hill; city accepts easement

Developers with the Emerald Fund announced and donated a conservation easement to create a new public park called Emerald Park in the Rincon Hill neighborhood, and the San Francisco Parks Alliance accepted the donation.

Alastair McTaggart of the Emerald Fund said the gift preserves roughly a half‑acre in a rapidly developing neighborhood and that the fund will forgo development rights in perpetuity. “Emerald Park will be open to the public every day of the year, and importantly, it will cost the city nothing,” McTaggart said. The donors will pay for installation of a children’s play structure and for ongoing maintenance under the conservation easement.

Rosemary Cameron, founding president of the Parks Alliance, said the easement is legally binding, will be recorded on title and obligates the Emerald Fund to maintain the park to specified standards. The Parks Alliance will act as steward and monitor the easement to ensure the site remains open and maintained. Mayor Ed Lee called the arrangement a model for future public–private–semi‑private partnerships and praised the donors.

Why it mattered: The arrangement provides new public open space for a dense, growing neighborhood without requiring capital outlays or ongoing maintenance funds from the city. Donors reported spending more than $2 million designing and building the park and agreed to fund a play structure and upkeep in perpetuity.

What’s next: The play structure is on order; once it is installed the park will open to the public under the terms of the conservation easement.