From Spring Street, the construction fence around Hoover Park hides most of the work. From the Boys & Girls Club side the view is better. In late August, Walking Redwood City photographed a white concrete slab beside a yellow dumpster and identified it as the base of the park's new splash pad. That slab sits about where Hoover Park's two swimming pools used to be.
The swap from pools to splash pad explains most of the redesign. Hoover Park is losing one large single-purpose facility that few people used and getting many smaller spaces in its place, each built for a different kind of visit. The water feature is the largest of them, and neighbors chose it.
Two Pools That Sat Mostly Empty
Hoover Park dates to 1966. It sits between Spring Street, Charter Street, Woodside Road and Hilton Street, at 2100 Spring St. Some amenities were updated over the decades, but some were still original, and the City's master-plan page states that "the pool facility has seen minimal use over the last decade and a new use of the space is possible."
According to Walking Redwood City's February site report, the park before demolition had two pools, both little used in recent years. It also had a fenced play area for younger kids, a more open play area for older kids, a picnic area and a large grass-covered mound. That was a lot of fenced water taking up space in a neighborhood park that was otherwise fairly plain. In early 2023 the City asked neighbors what they wanted in its place.
How the Water Feature Won
The redesign took about four years from start to groundbreaking, and the public was consulted at several points along the way. Walking Redwood City and the City's project page give this order of events:
- Early 2022: The City asked landscape architecture firms to bid on a new master plan.
- Early 2023: The City held two community outreach sessions and ran an online survey on play amenities and use of space. Residents then picked a preferred concept from a set of conceptual designs and chose optional design elements.
- October 2023: The master plan was completed.
- August 2024 to January 2025: The City bought a new restroom structure, and the Division of the State Architect gave final approval for it.
- July 2025: The San Mateo County Health Department approved the plans for the spray ground.
- September to November 2025: The project went out to bid and drew four bidders. City Council approved a contract with Azul Works, Inc. on November 10, 2025.
- January 2026: Demolition began. A groundbreaking ceremony followed on March 16.
The 2023 survey decided the outcome. The City's March 16 news release says more than 70 percent of community responses supported the preferred concept, which featured a larger water spray and play area. On the master plan, the splash pad is the large blue kidney shape. The City's park listing currently shows "Water Feature: NO." Once the project is finished, that line should change for the first time since the pools stopped drawing swimmers.
Three and a Half Acres, Split Into Smaller Spaces
The renovation covers a 3.5-acre portion of Hoover Park, which the City calls "the traditional park area." In that area, one pool complex, two play areas and a picnic lawn are being replaced by roughly a dozen separate spaces. Combining the City's release with Walking Redwood City's reading of the master plan, here is what is going in:
| Space | What the plan calls for |
|---|---|
| Splash pad | A large water spray and play area where the two pools were |
| Playgrounds | Two of them, one for ages 2 to 5 and one for ages 5 to 12 |
| Pickleball | A pair of courts |
| Volleyball | One court with artificial turf |
| Fitness court | A dedicated fitness area |
| Ping-pong | A couple of tables |
| Outdoor classroom | A teaching and gathering space |
| Picnic areas | Several, with new trees |
| Community garden | Included in the final plan |
| Dog areas | Separate parks for large and small dogs, set apart from the main portion of the park |
| Restroom building | Restrooms plus a concession stand and storage |
The concession stand and the dog areas show what the plan is aiming for. The old park mostly served people coming to swim or watch kids on the play equipment. The new layout has room for a pickleball game, a dog walk, a toddler's morning on the splash pad and a weekend volleyball match, all at the same time. The City's release says the community feedback behind the design "emphasized safety, cleanliness, accessibility, and improvements that would make the park more inviting, active, and connected to the surrounding neighborhoods." The City's master-plan page also lists better parking and better access from Spring Street, Hilton Street and the sports fields.
The Seven Acres Outside the Fence
On paper, Hoover Park covers 10.18 acres, much more than the 3.5 being rebuilt. The difference is the sports fields, which belong to the school, and the basketball court next to the Boys & Girls Club building. All of those stay in place. The City describes Hoover Park as a shared site between Redwood City and the Redwood City School District, and the project as a partnership between the two.
This shared layout explains the size of the cast the City consulted. Besides the school district, the City engaged Hoover School, the Boys & Girls Club, PAL, and the chairs of the Friendly Acres, Redwood Village and Stambaugh-Heller neighborhood associations during planning. With that many users sharing one block, the design needed spaces that work side by side and don't compete for the same lawn.
How a Main Street Sale Paid for a Park
The project budget is $11 million. The City lists $4.6 million in Community Development Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $6.4 million from Redwood City itself. The federal portion came from one-time program income generated by the sale of 1306 Main Street. According to the City, that transaction also produced 22 new affordable replacement units and additional funding toward 94 more affordable homes.
The bid was structured so the whole plan could be built at once. The City split it into a base package and six alternate tasks. Azul Works' low bid let the City complete the base bid and all six alternates in a single construction run. Because of that, nothing on the list above is waiting for a later phase. The City calls Hoover the largest park renovation Redwood City has undertaken in nearly 30 years. Redwood City Pulse also covered the March groundbreaking. In the City's release, Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos described the project in terms of everyday use:
"When this work is complete, Hoover Park will offer new opportunities that better serve the people who use this park every day."
Following the Work Through Winter
The City expects construction to conclude in January 2027. The most detailed recent look inside came in Walking Redwood City's late-August walk around the perimeter. At that point some paths had been poured, and the volleyball court area looked about ready for its turf. The parking-lot turnaround toward Woodside Road was being formed, and the fitness area's footprint was laid out in front of it.
The approach matters if you want to see the work for yourself. Spring Street does not cross Woodside Road, so coming from downtown on foot or by car means detouring. Walking Redwood City's author crosses Woodside Road at Bay Road to reach the stretch of Spring Street that runs alongside the park. Drivers can turn left onto Chestnut Street before Woodside Road, take Bay Road across it, then turn right on Willow Street and go one block to Spring. Once you're there, the Boys & Girls Club side gives the clearest view over the fence.
The new park will open with young trees. Nearly all of Hoover Park's large trees came down during demolition, and the plan replaces them with a great many new plantings. The first seasons will feel sunnier and more open than the old park did, and shade around the picnic areas will fill in over time.
At Fallant Team, we follow projects like Hoover Park because they shape everyday life around Friendly Acres, Redwood Village and Stambaugh-Heller well before anyone puts up a sign. If you live near Spring Street and want to talk about what the reopened park may mean for your block, Riette and Ralph are happy to walk through it with you. Schedule a Consultation whenever it suits you.
