Trust for Public Land Secures Future Canal Neighborhood Park in San Rafael, Unlocking Decades-Long Community Vision
The $3.35 Million Acquisition Marks Major Milestone in a Decades-long Effort Led by Canal Community Residents
San Francisco, CA — Trust for Public Land (TPL), in partnership with Canal Alliance, the County of Marin, and the City of San Rafael, announced the successful acquisition of the 1.65-acre former boatyard property at 620 Canal Street – the first step in advancing development of a waterfront park and community gateway designed to enhance safety, connection, and resilience for thousands of local residents. The acquisition of the waterfront parcel was a multi-agency effort led by TPL to secure the final funding necessary for future park development.
“Across the Bay Area, we’re seeing a wave of transformative projects that the rest of the country can learn from. From India Basin Waterfront Park, and now in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood, communities are redefining what parks can do—strengthening public safety, connecting people to community and opportunity, and building resilience to a changing climate,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for Trust for Public Land. “This project was a community priority that families and leaders championed for decades, and it sets an incredible example of how parks can anchor equity and resilience. When we invest in parks, we invest in people and the future of our communities.”
The acquisition fulfills a long-standing community vision led by residents and the Canal Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving the neighborhood since 1982.
“This long-awaited project, prioritized by Canal families and leaders for decades, will redefine connectivity, expand opportunities both recreational and economic, and enhance community health and safety,” said Omar Carrera, Chief Executive Officer of Canal Alliance. “It’s the result of years of advocacy, partnership, and belief that every neighborhood deserves safe access to nature and opportunity.”
The project’s next phase will focus on community engagement, design, and planning to ensure the future park reflects the voices and needs of those who live in the Canal neighborhood.
“We are thrilled to be a major step closer to realizing community priorities that have been decades in the making. The opportunity for this site as a space to increase community connection, recreation, health, and wellbeing is unprecedented,” said Mayor Kate Colin, City of San Rafael. “This would not have been possible without the amazing support and advocacy from the Trust for Public Land, the County of Marin, the Canal Alliance, and the Marin Community Foundation.”
“The acquisition of 620 Canal Street marks a significant step towards building a healthier and more connected Marin,” said Marin County Supervisor, Dennis Rodoni. “Through Measure A, we are increasing access to parks and open spaces while prioritizing equity and inclusion. This project will help ensure all residents, especially those in the Canal neighborhood, have safe access to recreation and the waterfront. Our collaboration with the City of San Rafael, the Trust for Public Land, and Canal Alliance demonstrates what we can achieve when we work together to create opportunities and strengthen our community.”
The $3.35 million acquisition marks a major milestone in a decades-long effort led by Canal residents and community advocates to reclaim an aging industrial site as a vital neighborhood asset. TPL and its partners secured the final funding necessary to complete the purchase, with key support from the County of Marin, the City of San Rafael, the Marin Community Foundation, and individual philanthropic donors. Funding from Marin County Parks’ Measure A provided crucial public investment to make the project possible.
For more than 40 years, the Canal neighborhood—a vibrant, majority Latino community—has faced a lack of access to parks, safe transportation routes, and public waterfronts. The new park will address those long-standing inequities by providing a safe, scenic connection to downtown San Rafael through a future pedestrian and bicycle bridge linking the park to Montecito Plaza and San Rafael High School. Currently, residents and youth—more than 30% of whom are between the ages of 5 and 18—must navigate busy frontage roads for over a mile to reach schools, jobs, and essential services. Once complete, the park will serve as the anchor for a safer, greener, and more resilient Canal neighborhood.
Beyond better connecting the Canal community, this park may serve as an anchor for more opportunities for recreation and community gatherings in an area with limited green space; while also serving as critical emergency access during floods or other disasters for a community highly vulnerable to sea-level rise.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the Canal Street site into a vibrant neighborhood asset that improves public safety, strengthens climate resilience, and opens new pathways to schools, jobs, and the outdoors,” continued Rodriguez. “This would not have been possible if it were not for public investment and individual and institutional donors like the Marin Community Foundation. Together with our partners, we’re ensuring every Canal family has a nearby place to connect with nature, gather with neighbors, and thrive.”
Situated alongside San Rafael Creek, the site’s strategic location makes it an ideal anchor for future infrastructure and climate resilience investments. The area currently has just one route in and out—leaving residents exposed during flooding or emergencies. The contemplated bridge connection will not only open safe, active transportation routes but also provide a critical evacuation corridor in the event of catastrophic flooding, as highlighted by the December 2024 tsunami warning.
TPL is also very grateful for the cooperation of the landowners and their efforts to clean and clear 620 Canal Street for public acquisition and use. The property owners were represented by longtime Marin resident and attorney Matthew Wertheim.
“My clients are so happy that this property can become a park that will improve the lives of the local community,” said longtime Marin resident Matt Wertheim, who represented the owners. “I was honored to work with TPL to get this deal done.”
One in three Americans—over 100 million people, including 28 million children—lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk of home. TPL is the national leader in expanding access to the outdoors, with more than 900 park projects in California alone and over 560,000 acres of land protected, connecting 1.2 million Californians to nature.
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About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $111 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
