San Francisco’s Tunnel Tops Gets Family-Oriented Expansion

San Francisco’s Tunnel Tops—“a 14-acre visual extravaganza that spills toward the bay from the historic center of the former Army post, now a national park”—will get a new addition designed to “make repeat visitors more comfortable,” reports John King in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The expansion, Outpost Meadow, will replace a parking lot. “The main constituency for the new meadow will be families visiting the Outpost from throughout the city and the Bay Area. Instead of tunnel-top views, the lure here will be several dozen picnic tables and the toddler-friendly oval meadow.” The plan also calls for more space for food trucks along Mason Street to provide nearby food options.

“On paper, the most startling aspect of the expansion may be what isn’t included. The southern third of the asphalt plateau along Sports Basement will remain, re-striped to insert more parking so that the overall number of spaces remains roughly the same.” Officials say this, along with cypress trees and shrubs, will help buffer the park from the adjacent freeway.

Construction on Tunnel Tops, which spans the six-lane Presidio Parkway,  began in 2018 after more than two decades of advocacy. The park opened last July, and the Presidio Trust estimates it will receive 1.8 million visitors in its first year.