Commissions approve $4 million to finish Willie Woo Wong Park renovation in Chinatown

Planning and Recreation & Parks commissioners approved a $4,000,000 allocation from the Downtown Park Fund to expand renovations of Willie Woo Wong Park in Chinatown, bringing the project’s combined budget to $10,000,000 and clearing the way for a redesigned playground and upgraded clubhouse.

The vote came at a joint meeting where Planning Department staff described a design that preserves existing uses—courts, a playground and a clubhouse—adds ADA access and a proposed bridge connecting the clubhouse to upper courts, and incorporates “discovery play” with sculptural elements. Dawn Cumberland Avon, director of planning capital management for the Recreation and Parks Department, told commissioners the $4,000,000 request would supplement $6,000,000 previously allocated by San Francisco voters through the 2012 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond and that staff hopes to begin construction in November if the funding is approved.

The proposal received strong public backing. Connie Chan, reading a letter from Supervisor Aaron Peskin (District 3), told commissioners, “Chinatown is in need of capital improvements and expansion of open space… I support the allocation of $4,000,000 of the downtown park funds for the renovation of the Willie Woo Wong clubhouse.” Community providers including Yiwu Yee Children’s Services and neighborhood groups, and multiple residents described heavy daily use of the park and the clubhouse’s current deficiencies—lack of daylight and climate control, plumbing and leaking—that limit programming for seniors and children.

Commissioners probed how the rebuilt clubhouse would be used. Commissioner Antonini asked whether clubhouses are sometimes closed for private programs and whether the renovated clubhouse would remain available to the public. Dawn Cumberland Avon answered that Rec and Park typically programs clubhouses with community partners and that “the model we would pursue here would be similar to… partnerships with the YMCA and with the Boys and Girls Club,” while General Manager Phil Ginsberg added that clubhouses are “very much available” for public use even when specific partner programs operate there. Commissioners were also told some programs (for example, language-immersion offerings) use scholarships and targeted enrollment, but the sites remain open for broader community use and special events.

Planning Commission business was completed first: Commissioner Antonini moved to approve the Planning Commission resolution to allocate the $4,000,000; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously, five to zero. The Recreation and Parks Commission then moved and seconded a matching allocation; that motion likewise passed by voice vote. The staff report included an environmental review note identifying the project as categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (categorical exemption).

Supporters stressed the project’s role in a neighborhood where a large share of housing consists of single-room occupancy units and where open public space serves as a daily resource. Commissioner Richards said not allocating the additional funds “only gets us halfway there,” while other commissioners described the playground as a longstanding, heavily used community asset. Staff said, if approved, they would return to the community for final meetings to refine the design and then proceed toward the planned construction start.

The commissions’ votes authorize staff to move forward with the additional Downtown Park Fund allocation to complete the Willie Woo Wong Park renovation; the item was recorded as passed and the meeting adjourned.