East Hillsdale Park Reopens October 7, Built to the Neighbors' "Less Is Better" Request
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"Less is better." City staff used that phrase to sum up what residents said at an October 28, 2021 virtual meeting, after looking at the first set of design options for East Hillsdale Park. Nearly five years later, the park at 123 31st Avenue reopens on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, with a ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m. The fences come down, and the park that returns follows that 2021 request closely.
The 2.1-acre park has been closed since September 2, 2025. Its playground had gone 20 years without an upgrade before this project, according to The San Mateo Record. If you lost your nearest playground for 13 months, it makes sense to look for new attractions on October 7. Most of what the construction contract lists is work underfoot.
The design started with a survey in 2020. Residents near the park asked for one consolidated play area on the north side of the park, with separate spaces for toddlers and older kids. They also asked for no restroom and no barbecues. When the first designs came back, the October 2021 meeting asked the city to scale them down.
People also raised the issues you don't see from the sidewalk. At a January 2022 follow-up meeting, residents pointed to the irrigation system, poor stormwater drainage and the worn-out perimeter path. Staff wrote that those problems would be studied and fixed in the final construction documents.
The approved scope of work lists no restroom or barbecues, which follows the survey. The small footprint also means the park has no dedicated parking lot. The city asks visitors to park on the street and keep driveways clear.
The city's construction contract with Suarez & Munoz Construction, Inc. was $2,050,000, with 365 calendar days to finish the work. The play equipment was bought separately. The city purchased it directly from Miracle Playsystems through the Sourcewell cooperative, which avoided a contractor markup. That purchase was approved at $191,246.54, plus a 10 percent contingency, for a cap of $210,371.19.
Put side by side, the equipment budget is about a tenth of the construction contract. Here is what the contract paid for, according to the staff report:
The city's FAQ shows where the time went too. It listed three things driving the schedule: heritage tree and root protection under a required tree protection plan, the storm drain and lighting work, and possible weather delays. The drainage was tested before the park reopened. In April 2026 the city reported that the new system handled recent storms as designed.
Most of the work is on the ground under your feet, not on the play structures. A repaved path that drains properly after a storm and is lit in the evening matters to anyone who walks the loop, with or without kids.
The project was paid for by the city's Park and Recreation Revenue Fund and California's Proposition 68, the 2018 state parks and water bond. The Record's September article said no dollar figure had been published. The signed contract posted on the city's site shows the $2.05 million figure, and the Record's August article had described it as a $2 million renovation.
Before the project, the play area was a small toddler section and a spiral slide. The new layout follows the 2020 request for two separate zones. The list below comes from the city's August 2025 rendering of the HAGS equipment, so treat it as the plan.
| Zone | Planned play elements |
|---|---|
| Ages 2 to 5 | Labyrinth, letter rollers, play stove, sorting panel, periscope, noughts-and-crosses panel, car dashboard, picture puzzle, Swingo balance and spinning element |
| Ages 5 to 12 | Climbing wall, Tornado Spinner, counter, SpinR2 inclusive roundabout, swings with toddler, generation, inclusive and standard seats |
A generation swing lets an adult and a small child swing facing each other. The SpinR2 roundabout and the inclusive swing seats are built for kids with a wider range of physical abilities. The city's reopening photo, as described in the Record, shows a spiral slide, a climbing structure and artificial turf. The old play structure isn't going to the landfill. The city said it was working with an organization that might reuse the equipment somewhere else.
The story of how the equipment was chosen depends on which document you read. City staff called the HAGS design by Miracle Playsystems "the community's preferred play equipment design" and said most Park and Recreation Commissioners supported it in March 2022.
The San Mateo Record reported an in-person vote at the park in January 2022. More than 60 residents, children included, chose among three vendors. Specified Play Equipment got 30 votes, Miracle Play Group 27 and Ross Recreation Equipment 8. The Record noted that city records don't explain why the commission chose the second-place vendor. Both accounts agree on the main thing. Neighbors helped shape this playground, and the final choice was close.
The project was planned to take 12 months. It ran about five weeks longer. Here is the whole timeline from the city's documents and local coverage:
The final delays came from the two parts residents notice most, the play equipment and the light poles. The underground work finished earlier.
The ceremony is short, and the city calls it a chance for neighbors to get together and see the improvements.
During the closure, the city's FAQ pointed families to five nearby parks. West Hillsdale Park at 345 31st Avenue was the closest, about 0.3 miles away. Indian Springs, Beresford and Paddock parks were each about 0.7 miles away, and Bay Meadows Park on East 28th Avenue was about 0.8 miles away. Beresford Park at 2720 Alameda de las Pulgas has the nearest public tennis courts. With East Hillsdale open again, families have a playground within a few blocks of 31st Avenue in both directions.
If you live near 31st Avenue, a nearby park that drains well, has lit paths and new play areas is part of what your street offers. When you want to know how projects like this one show up in what nearby homes are worth, Daniel Choi can go over the numbers for your block with you. Schedule a free consultation.
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