The Dog Play Area is temporarily be closed from December 1 until February 26, 2026 for its annual winter closure is intended to give turf time to rest, recover, reseed, and avoid damage from wet and heavy use. A cyclone fence now surrounds most of the Dog Play Area, leaving the areas outside of it available for off-leash dogs. The DPAs in the Upper Douglas, Mission Dolores North Field, and St. Mary’s parks are also closed this winter for the same reason.

ADA-compliant garbage can receptacle covers (shown above) will replace the ones at the park entrances on Steiner Street and Potomac Street and are currently in production. There will be two recycling and two landfill units. They will replace the existing units in the Dog Play Area at their current locations. An image of the ADA-compliant unit being installed in the park is shown.

FDP has long advocated for additional benches in the park. We were promised three new benches, but there have been numerous delays. Here’s why. Longtime San Francisco resident Ben Bobo enjoyed walking his golden retriever, Chad, in Alta Plaza Park and left a generous portion of his estate to fund new city park benches. Upon his death in 2023, Bobo left a will stipulating a generous gift of$3.6 million to the city of San Francisco.

20% (approximately $720,000) allocated to build and install approximately 50new benches and other park furnishings citywide, with the rest of the bequest going to capital improvements and general maintenance in the park system. The Rec & Park Commission approved this in January 2025, and we are now waiting for final approval from the Probate Court on December 22.

Please report any maintenance issues in the park on the 311 app. Photos can be included.