‘Pocket Park’ is in the Works for North Fair Oaks
Saint Francis Center in Redwood City, Magical Bridge Foundation Bringing Park to Neighborhood
By Ana Mata, Daily Journal
Mar 11, 2025
In a collaboration between the Saint Francis Center in Redwood City and the Magical Bridge Foundation, an all-inclusive “pocket park” is in the works to serve the North Fair Oaks neighborhood.
In the preliminary stages of designing a park that will be placed in an approximately 5,000-square-foot parcel, the two nonprofit organizations are looking now for community feedback, hoping to properly serve the community.
The site is located on Buckingham Avenue near the Sobrato Apartments and other housing owned by the Saint Francis Center. In what has become an established community, Saint Francis Center Executive Director Kate Young describes the area as a village in need of some open play space.
“We believe that every family deserves the opportunity to thrive, not just survive,” said Kate Young, executive director of St. Francis Center. “We are a village that works together and stands shoulder to shoulder to look out for one another and nurture our children. Together, in community, we build a better future for us all.”
After the pandemic, Young said there is a greater understanding of the need for third spaces or places to gather in the community, which can be a challenge to find in a densely developed area such as North Fair Oaks.
“We’ve been trying to focus on affordable housing for so long, which is still so important, but we also want to take advantage of this opportunity to create a space that isn’t three stories tall and packed with concrete,” Young said.
The Magical Bridge Foundation builds universally accessible playgrounds for everyone regardless of age or ability, including one that is beloved by the community at Red Morton Park located at 1120 Roosevelt Ave. The nonprofit just celebrated its 10th park opened in Mountain View, and has three projects in the works, but the pocket park in North Fair Oaks is unique.
Magical Bridge Foundation Founder Olenka Villarreal said the organization began with creating destination playgrounds that were bold in design and concept, and ultimately demanded a lot of fundraising and city support. The pocket park would be the first erected on privately owned land and in such a small space, but Villarreal is excited to make it happen.
“It will be the first real example of what we can do in a smaller space,” Villarreal said. “This will really be where community comes together.”
In a pop-up community feedback session, Villarreal and Chief Marketing Officer Kris Loew gathered ideas from those Saint Francis serves on what they would like to see in a park, including ideas from the center’s two classes of second and eighth graders. Saint Francis is a nonprofit community center that provides food, clothing and other essential services for low-income families in the area. It has a school component with two classes, second and eighth grade. It also provides housing in a variety of ways.
In honor of a recently passed staff member at Saint Francis Center, Tess Rowell Weber, the eighth grade class suggested taking the opportunity to create a mural honoring her love for corgis and sunflowers. A parent suggested outlets at the tables so he could finish work while he watches his child play.
Accessibility does not just mean being compliant with codes and regulations, but entails welcoming people of all ages, Loew said. The foundation hopes to break down the idea that parks are strictly made for young children.
Carefully designing the pocket park so older community members feel welcome is key, providing another space for congregating beyond the front yard of the center’s main building at 151 Buckingham Ave.
After gathering more community input, the two partnered nonprofits will come up with a refined design, figure out a price tag — estimated to be around $1.2 million as of now — and launch a capital fundraising campaign, Young said.
The empty lot owned by the Saint Francis Center has remained vacant for years after a single-family home on the property was torn down. Proposed to be more housing at one point, the shift in plans reflects how the center hopes to react to community wants and needs, Young said.
“I like not having a road map and knowing exactly where we’re going,” Young said. “I like thinking ‘oh this is a fabulous idea’ and then getting community input and enthusiasm over it and then saying ‘OK let’s figure this out.’”