Berkeley's Civic Center Park has reopened

More than 100 people converged in Berkeley's Civic Center Park on Thursday to celebrate its reopening after nearly a year of major construction work.

This week, workers removed the prominent fencing around the park to reveal new flagstones on the upper plaza, a restored Peace Wall, an ADA pathway and updated irrigation, as well as extensive new landscaping, from a sprawling green lawn and array of young trees to not one but two native plant gardens.

" We have all waited for months for these improvements to be completed, but they will be worth the wait," said Berkeley City Councilman Terry Taplin.

Perhaps even more exciting to much of the gathered crowd was a broad range of programming set to take place at Civic Center Park, from concerts and movies to "taco Tuesdays" and "frosty Fridays," featuring food trucks for Berkeley High students — not to mention the longstanding downtown Berkeley farmers market each Saturday.

"We want to make this a joyous and wonderful gathering place for community," said John Caner, who runs the Downtown Berkeley Association and helped launch the Community for a Cultural Civic Center.

Caner said he looked forward to a range of big events returning to the park, from  Indigenous Peoples Day to the Bay Area Book Festival, and others, such as Berkeley Pride, possibly making it their new home.

" I live three blocks from here," he said. " This is my community, this is my neighborhood. And I think all of us need to celebrate and look forward to many, many happy returns."

In addition to Berkeley High students who lined up to buy ice cream (and stuck around for the public program), attendees included council members, city and council staffers and longtime local dignitaries, including former state Sen. Loni Hancock and her husband Tom Bates, former Berkeley mayor and state assemblyman.

The couple has been closely involved with efforts to revitalize Berkeley's civic center for years.

On Thursday, speakers emphasized the important role parks play in civic life.

"Parks are vital to a city's wellbeing, offering so very many benefits," said Deputy City Manager David White. "They serve as crucial spaces for recreation, relaxation and social interaction, enhancing the quality of life for everyone in our community."

Downtown Berkeley City Council rep Igor Tregub said one of his treasured Civic Center Park memories was of  raising the Ukrainian flag there. (Tregub is from Ukraine.)

" The space has long been a cornerstone of civic life in Berkeley, a place for protests, performances and peaceful reflection," he said. " Now, with these long-awaited upgrades, it's been reimagined as an even more accessible, beautiful and inclusive gathering place for all."

In addition to countless high-profile political protests, the park has hosted many popular Berkeley events, such as the Berkeley Half Marathon, Comunidad en La Placita, the  Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival, the String Band Contest and Earth Day, to name just a few.

But it's also struggled over the years, becoming a gathering spot for unhoused individuals and a hotspot for drug sales (and use) — despite its proximity to City Hall, Berkeley High School and the police station across the street.

Following a large-scale rat infestation, the city installed fencing on the east side of Civic Center Park in October 2024 as the plaza construction project began.

More fencing went up in the spring when the city closed a problematic homeless encampment on the west side of the park.

On Thursday, however, the park appeared sparkling and pristine as community members celebrated not only the recent updates but the promise of what's to come now that the fences are down.

" This project was a true collaboration between city staff, local advocates, all of you community members who've shared your ideas and your voices," Tregub told the crowd. "I am proud of what we've done together, and I'm even more excited for what's next."

The project — which has a second phase coming — was funded by a Caltrans Clean California Grant, Measure T1 and the Civic Arts Commission in addition to Berkeley's parks tax and general fund, according to the project website.

On Thursday, city leaders made sure to thank project funders as well as the city staff who made the work happen, including frontline Parks, Recreation & Waterfront workers and parks director Scott Ferris (whose " relentless leadership and love for this city was crucial to bringing this project forward," Deputy City Manager White said).

Before using a large pair of scissors to cut a blue ribbon in honor of the reopening, Councilman Taplin — Berkeley's current vice mayor — noted that Civic Center Park is among some 70 projects that had been funded by T1, the $100 million bond measure approved by Berkeley voters nearly a decade ago.

Other T1 projects include the  North Berkeley Senior Center, the Adult Mental Health Clinic, Live Oak Community Center, improvements on University Avenue in the waterfront and the Berkeley Rose Garden, Taplin said.

"Earlier this summer, we cut a ribbon opening the new Willard Clubhouse, and two weeks ago we held a groundbreaking for the MLK Jr. Youth Services facility," Taplin said. "And now we get to celebrate the completion of another T1 project."