WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – If you felt like the facilities at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek were starting to show their age, well…lots of folks felt the same way.
That’s why the city is entirely revamping many of the core facilities at the popular East Bay park.
The groundbreaking happens this week. But as construction continues over the next 2-3 years, the park will entirely transform.
Here’s what to know–and how the revamped park will look!
The efforts to re-do Heather Farm began with a multi million dollar switch of the sports fields from real grass to turf. That move will reportedly allow them to stay open for much more of the year. Rains often led to closures of the aging grass fields before.
With that project done, Walnut Creek is moving on to the crown jewel of the re-done park.
The city is holding a public groundbreaking on Wednesday, February 18 at 4:00 p.m. to kick off construction of the new Aquatic and Community Center. It’s happening right at the park.
According to the states CEQA filing, the new facility is planned as a single-story building of about 27,023 square feet (around 30 feet tall), with event and multipurpose spaces, classrooms, locker rooms, offices, a conference room, and a kitchen. Outside, the aquatics program includes two pools: a 50-meter lap pool and a separate recreational pool.
The city’s conceptual plan also describes the project site as roughly 4.7 acres and calls out major components that include a large indoor gathering space, multiple multipurpose rooms and classrooms, outdoor terraces, the two pools, a bathhouse, and a mechanical pool building.
The transformation is not limited to new walls and new water.
The CEQA description emphasizes site improvements such as landscaping, pathways, and modifications to the existing concrete pond area.
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It also describes a new entry courtyard and staff patio on the east side, plus an event terrace, event garden, and multiple lawns on the west side between the building and the Concrete Pond. New accessible pedestrian paths are planned throughout the site, while the existing bicycle path along North San Carlos Drive is expected to remain.
And if you have been following the lake area changes, the city’s published timeline spells out a key piece of the parks makeover: increasing the size of the Nature Lake and decreasing the size of the concrete pond, followed by revegetation with native shrubs and trees and additional planting in nearby open areas.
That’s a shame for people who like to fish the pond. But it’s great for the ducks!
So, how long will this mega transformation take? The city’s project page frames the work as a multi-year construction phase running through 2027.
Here are a few timeline milestones Walnut Creek has already published:
- August 2025: The existing community center building closes, with demolition and construction beginning in early 2026. That’s what’s happening now, so it seems like we’re on track thus far.
- January 2026: The site is secured and tree removal begins; the city says about 75 trees were slated for removal, with a plan to plant two new trees for every one removed. No word on whether that happened, but it’s likely it did. We’ll check on site next time we’re there.
- Typical hours: Construction is generally expected 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with weekend work authorized as needed, and fencing/barriers used for safety.
One important operational note for swimmers: the city has said Clarke Swim Center is projected to remain open throughout the construction period, even as the old community center comes down and the new combined facility rises.
Where’s the money coming from? The city is explicit that the project is funded primarily by Measure O, the voter-approved, 10-year, half-cent sales tax passed in 2022.
A 2024 City Council agenda report pegged the approved project budget at $77 million (rounded), with a base construction/soft cost breakdown and optional items that included an Emergency Operations Center capability and aquatics features.
That same council report also shows Walnut Creek evaluating sustainability and resilience components, including a LEED Silver-equivalent approach (with provisions for future add-ons) and upgrades tied to emergency operations.
In the short term, this means some disruption at Heather Farm. For at least the next year (and probably more like 2-3 years), expect things to be a little chaotic at the park.
After that, though, we’ll all have an extremely nice new set of facilities to enjoy.
We’ll be following the construction closely. Make sure to join my free 925 News newsletter so I can send regular updates.
