CASTRO VALLEY NEWS YEAR 1, NUMBER 7
Park officials are mulling the future of
what may be the last huge parcel of land intended to be a park in Castro Valley. Now is the time to get involved in this process. The 24-acre parcel bordered by Sydney Way and Stanton Avenue was recently purchased for $5.6 million by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) for a park or open space. “I am going to work hard to see fruition to this and to determine what the community wants,” said Castro Valley resident Dennis Waespi, who is also a HARD director. “I think this will be a tremendous park.” The parcel was pur-
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Planning for the Last Big Park Area in Castro Valley
MAY 2014
chased by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) through eminent domain in the 1950’s for a filtration plant that was never built. By 2006, HARD put parcel tax, “Measure Q” on the ballot to purchase the land for $15.5 million. When it went to the polls, voters shot “Q” down 63% against and 37% in favor of the measure. Over the past eight years officials with EBMUD have negotiated and promoted a number of failed attempts to sell the property to land developers. Waespi says there will be a number of public meetings on what may happen to the parcel. He is adamant it should be a park and strongly urges CV get involved in the planning process. Story Continues on the Next Page of this Magazine.