The Dumbarton Quarry, a huge hole in the ground that was 320 feet deep, produced rock for over half a century. It was used to build San Francisco’s freeways, bridges, and other buildings.
The former industrial site in Fremont, San Francisco Bay’s waterfront, will now be used to create something new: Memories and a love for the outdoors, a report said.
After 14 years of negotiations and planning to fill the huge hole in the ground, East Bay Regional Park District will finally open a campground. It will include picnic areas, a playground, and a 200-seat amphitheater. There will also be restrooms and showers.
The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge will be connected to Coyote Hills Regional Park on Alameda County’s north side. This popular East Bay attraction was visited by over 600,000 hikers, cyclists, and other outdoor enthusiasts last year. This is the first public campground built in the bay’s vicinity in decades. This situation was largely due to high land prices and the reluctance of some parks departments to build new facilities that will require more staff.
Supporters say that the project will offer affordable overnight vacations for working-class families in an age when even small hotel rooms can run hundreds of dollars per night.
Bob Doyle, who was the East Bay’s former general manager and negotiated the deal, said that “This is going be a whole new generation to camp.” You don’t need to travel to Tahoe. You don’t need to visit a popular national park. It will be right at home in the Bay Area.
After a lengthy legal battle, the park district, the city, and the company approved final plans for the campgrounds in 2012.
The pit contained 6 million cubic yards of dirt and rock, enough to fill 600,000. It took twelve years to complete the process.
The rock and dirt came from several large construction projects in the Bay Area that were completed over the past decade and needed to be disposed of. These included the expansion of BART into the South Bay and the San Francisco Central Subway Muni Muni extension which includes two tunnels in Chinatown.
Dumbarton Quarry Associates crews compacted the top 50 feet with a 10-ton weight suspended by a crane. The project cost $15 million and brought in water, sewer, electricity, and wifi.
In less than a month, a store will be open with laundry and firewood sales. There are also plans to rent camping gear. Plans call for additional facilities to be built over the next 10 years, including an event building that could host weddings or other events, as well as 19 additional campsites, 28 cottages, and two large group camping areas.
The new trees, wildflowers, and bushes have begun to take root. A new chapter is being written as the trail connecting the campground and Coyote Hills has been completed.
Friday is the opening day of the facility, which has 63 campsites and 60 RV hookups.
Reservations for campsites began Wednesday, at $45 for tent camping and $65 for RV camping, and can be made by going to reserveamerica.com and entering “Dumbarton Quarry Campground” or by calling (888) 327-2757 or by emailing [email protected].