County Executive’s Office

The San Mateo County Parks Department preserves the county’s natural and cultural treasures and provides safe and accessible parks, recreation, and learning opportunities to enhance the community’s quality of life. As outlined in the San Mateo County Parks Strategic Plan, community members prioritized the following core services: recreation opportunities, environmental protection programs, interpretive and educational programs, volunteer programs, and community engagement.

To provide a high-quality experience for all visitors, the Department maintains trails, restrooms, shower buildings, playgrounds, picnic sites, camp sites, exercise stations, drive aisles and parking lots, and ancillary utilities. In July 2021, the Department began the Forest Health & Community Safety Initiative which seeks to improve forest health primarily in parks that are near private dwellings, also called the wildland urban interface. Most of the initiative's work focuses on constructing or improving shaded fuel breaks where small trees under eight inches in diameter, tall brush, and dead or dying vegetation is found along park boundaries, fire roads, and residential roads.The initiative consists of 32 projects totaling 1,830 acres to be competed over five years at an estimated cost of $18,750,000.

Due to much of the Department’s infrastructure and facilities exceeding their useful life, the Department has developed a capital program that focuses on addressing deferred maintenance. This includes, but is not limited to, re-paving drive aisles and parking lots, modernizing water distribution and sewer collection systems, upgrading restroom facilities, and improving trail tread. These efforts will not only ensure the Department can provide more reliable services to the public, but they will also allow the Department to reduce the amount of funding spent annually on minor repairs.

In addition to addressing deferred maintenance, the Department’s capital program aims to expand visitor amenities and provide new experiences.  This includes the Coyote Point Eastern Promenade Project, Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project, and Reimagine Flood Park Project.

Memorial Park Improvement Projects

Memorial County Park, which is located in the unincorporated community of Loma Mar and is 673-acres in size, provides family and group camping facilities, a camp store, day-use picnic sites, and numerous campfire and other programs. During camping season, Memorial Park can host up to 2,000 visitors per day which puts a significant demand on the park’s aging infrastructure. In 2020, the Parks Department replaced seven obsolete restroom/shower facilities throughout the park. The new buildings utilize a single stall, gender-neutral design and provide greater accessibility than prior conventional designs. The buildings also feature low-flow plumbing fixtures, and energy efficient lighting and ventilation systems. In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the Department will replace the remaining eight obsolete restroom and shower facilities in the park. Construction of the new facilities is expected to begin in Fall 2021, immediately following the 2021 camping season and is expected to be completed in early Summer 2022.

The Department also repaved all drive aisles and parking lots in the park, replaced the entire wastewater collection system, and upgraded camping and picnic sites.  In anticipation of the park's 100-year anniversary in 2024, the Department will be replacing the water distribution system and refurbishing Homestead Group Campground.

Collectively, the Department’s efforts will reduce operational costs at Memorial Park and ensure visitors have a high-quality experience.

Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project

The Department is conducting the park planning activities necessary to convert the 56-acre Tunitas Creek Beach Property, located approximately 8 miles south of the City of Half Moon Bay, into a new San Mateo County park.  The Project Advisory Team, which is comprised of staff from the Parks Department, San Mateo County Department of Public Works, Peninsula Open Space Trust (“POST”), and California State Coastal Conservancy, have implemented a robust community engagement process to solicit feedback from the public and ensure the future county park is reflective of the values and desires of the public. The Preferred Design Plan for the future park includes a parking lot, overlooks throughout the property, picnic tables, restrooms, an amphitheater/event space, accessible pathway to the mid-bluff area of the park, ranger housing, and a boardwalk.  These features will allow visitors to have customizable experiences based on their interest.

Coyote Point Eastern Promenade Rejuvenation Project

The new Coyote Point Eastern Promenade will stabilize the erosion that is undercutting the existing promenade, while providing an improved waterfront trail for a wide variety of non-motorized activities including skating, bicycling, walking, and jogging. Viewpoints and rest areas will also be available on the promenade. The project is located between the water sports concession building and Coyote Point headland and will connect to the western promenade shoreline, which was completed in December 2014. The design improvements include the addition of 170 feet of new engineered beach, improved parking facilities, which address traffic flow as well accessibility deficiencies, and a new restroom facility. The project aims to revive the popular Coyote Point waterfront and improve the Bay Trail while designing shoreline improvements adaptable to sea level rise.

The Department of Public Works is managing construction which commenced in May 2021 and is expected to be completed in February 2022.

Reimagine Flood Park

The Reimagine Flood Park Project includes the rehabilitation of Flood’s existing baseball field, as well as the addition of a new multi-use sport field which will traverse the baseball field’s outfield. A second multiuse sport field is proposed to be positioned along Bay Road on the southern edge of the park. Both fields will be large enough to support programming for youth and high school sport practices and games. Additional proposed improvements include a bicycle pump track, a demonstration garden, a basketball court, tennis/pickleball courts, an amphitheater, volleyball courts, and renovated picnic and reservation sites. The existing quantity of picnic and reservation sites will remain the same, but sites will be relocated to accommodate new amenities.