San Jose has secured a significant investment from the federal government to help develop a park in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood, providing green space to a historically industrial and underserved area of the city.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has awarded San Jose a $4.5 million grant, which the city will use to help design and build a 1.3-acre park that’s already been decades in the making at the corner of Third and Keyes Street on what was once a brickyard manufacturing site.
“I had the privilege of taking a short walk and being able to show the space to Secretary (of the Interior Deb) Haaland and noted that the nearest park to these neighborhoods is a 30-minute walk away that’s not accessible for kids, older residents or families,” Mayor Matt Mahan said Friday. “That’s why this investment is so vital.”
Created in 2014 and administered by the National Park Service, the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grants program offers funding to develop new recreational spaces or revitalize existing parks in underserved or disadvantaged communities with at least 30,000 people with little to no access to these amenities.
The grant program is also part of the larger America the Beautiful initiative launched by the Biden Administration to “address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy.”
Haaland said that while the Trump administration zeroed out the program, the Biden administration was “doubling down.”
This year’s park grants totaled nearly $255 million for 54 projects in 24 different states, with award sizes ranging from $390,000 to $15 million.
While California received 14 of those grants, totaling about $88 million, Spartan Keyes Park is the only project to receive funds in the Bay Area.
“From Anaheim to Redding, communities up and down the state will benefit from expanding access to beautiful outdoor spaces and more outdoor recreational opportunities,” Haaland said. “The work happening here in San Jose and across the state are incredible examples of the kind of collaborative partnerships needed for access to the outdoors for Americans in every corner of our nation.”
Rita Torres, a longtime resident of Spartan Keyes, said she was excited to hear about the investment, noting that it felt like a lifetime since the city acquired the land more than eight years ago and that she previously wasn’t sure she would live to see it happen.
Though the exact date of the park’s completion is unknown as it still has to be designed, Mahan expects it to be built in a few years.
The grants awarded were up to 50% of the respective projects’ total costs. In the case of Spartan Keyes Park, the $4.5 million grant will cover an estimated 45% of what the city needs to make it a reality.
Although San Jose is currently struggling with a half-billion-dollar park maintenance backlog, it continues to prioritize investments in city amenities, with seven parks opened this year and two more on the way.
“Everyone deserves to have access to these public green areas and amenities close to home,” said Gloria Sandoval, deputy secretary for access at the California Natural Resources Agency. “Doing so builds healthier communities since spending time in nature helps with our physical, mental and social well-being and brings so many memories with their families.”