WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Visitors arriving at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek may barely recognize the area surrounding the former community center.
Construction fencing, excavated ground and heavy equipment now dominate a large section of the park as Walnut Creek moves ahead with one of the biggest recreation projects in its history: a new combined Aquatic and Community Center.
It’s not just a facelift, either. The aging community center, which dated to the 1960s, has been demolished and will be replaced with an approximately 28,000-square-foot facility, two new swimming pools and extensive outdoor improvements.
Walnut Creek’s current approved budget for the project is $75.8 million, according to a March 2026 City Council report. That figure includes design expenses, construction contracts and other costs across both phases of the project.
Why the Park Looks So Different
The community center closed in August 2025, but the most visible changes began early in 2026.
Crews fenced off the project area, removed approximately 75 trees and demolished the community center on March 6. Cleanup, foundation removal, excavation and grading followed, transforming the surrounding area into a sprawling construction site.
The city says two new trees will eventually be planted within the park for every tree removed. Redwood trees taken down for the project are also being repurposed into wood products.
The work covers approximately 4.7 acres in the central and southern portion of the 102-acre park. An earlier phase also modified the park’s concrete pond and expanded the nature lake, helping prepare the surrounding area for the new facility.
What Walnut Creek Is Building
The completed complex will include a 50-meter competition pool and a separate recreational pool, replacing facilities at the existing Clarke Memorial Swim Center.
Plans also call for a large indoor gathering space, multipurpose rooms, classrooms, locker rooms, offices, a conference room and a kitchen. Outdoor additions will include event terraces, an event garden, lawns, an entry courtyard and improved accessible pathways.
The building is also being designed so it can support emergency operations when needed.
Renderings and additional details are available on the city’s Aquatic and Community Center project page.
Where the $76 Million Is Coming From
The project is being funded primarily through Measure O, the half-cent Walnut Creek sales tax approved by voters in 2022. The ten-year measure was created to support city services and replace aging public facilities.
Additional funding is coming from the city’s General Fund Facilities Reserve and bond proceeds.
Measure O is also supporting other recreation projects, including the recently completed conversion of Heather Farm’s Sports Fields 1 and 2 to synthetic turf. Those fields reopened in December 2025.
Much of Heather Farm Park Is Still Open
Despite the scale of the construction, the entire park is not closed.
Clarke Memorial Swim Center is expected to remain open during construction so Walnut Creek can continue offering swimming programs while the replacement pools are built. The existing swim center will not be demolished until the new aquatic complex is ready.
Other destinations outside the construction zone also remain accessible, although visitors should expect fencing, noise and occasional detours. Typical construction hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with weekend work permitted when necessary.
Picnic areas 2, 3, 4 and 5 are currently closed because of the construction, according to the city’s picnic rental page.
Construction Will Continue Through 2027
The city’s current timeline anticipates construction continuing through 2027. Earlier project schedules targeted a summer 2027 grand opening, although the city’s construction-impact page now warns that work could continue through the end of that year.
After the new complex opens, Walnut Creek will turn its attention to the existing Clarke Swim Center property. Possibilities discussed for that roughly three-acre area have included additional green space, pickleball or bocce courts, a basketball court and an amphitheater, but that planning process is separate and the final design has not been determined.
For now, Heather Farm Park will continue looking like a major construction zone. The payoff is intended to be a modern swimming, recreation and community-gathering complex capable of serving Walnut Creek for decades.
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I hope it includes funding for the playground. The sponge flooring over the entire area is badly in need of replacement. It is a mass of ugly patches and also dangerous holes.