Radio Park in central Fresno closed for $10.6M construction. See new site plan
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Radio Park closed through 2026 for a $10.6M renovation; reopening expected early 2027.
- Plan adds amphitheater, splash pad, sculpture gardens, turf field and trees.
- Funding: $6M state grant, $3.8M park fees, $394K General Fund, $289K Measure P.
Radio Park, located next to the Fresno Art Museum, will be closed to the public until its $10.6 million renovation project is complete.
An illustrative site plan for the park, known for its large radio tower visible from First Street, shows it will be upgraded with an amphitheater, a splash pad for children and sculpture gardens, among other improvements.
But the city of Fresno expects the work to be finished by early 2027, so the chain-link fence that surrounds the 7.5-acre park could remain up until then.
Construction will occur in stages and demolition is underway right now, so the park must be completely closed down for community safety reasons, said Aaron Aguirre, the city’s parks director.
“It’s really going to be hard to have anyone to enjoy the park when you have big tractors digging, demo-ing, and it really isn’t safe for the community,” Aguirre told The Bee.
The $10.6 million investment is part of the city’s work to improve its parks system, which continues to linger at the bottom of the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index. The index measures park acreage, access, investment and more in the nation’s largest cities.
Fresno now has almost $20 million in Measure P sales tax revenue budgeted to pay for land acquisition for future parks, especially in the areas south of Shaw Avenue identified as “high need.” City voters approved the local tax in 2018 and it began generating money in 2021.
Aguirre said the improvements at Radio Park are being paid for by a $6 million state grant, $3.8 million in city park facility fees, $394,000 from the city’s General Fund and $289,000 in Measure P money.
“This can be an amazing park, and really is going to kind of set the standard for future parks,” Aguirre said.
Fresno Art Museum plans to operate normally during construction
Michelle Ellis Pracy, executive director of the Fresno Art Museum, said she is not aware of any impact construction will have on the museum’s operations.
Pracy said the museum participated in the planning for Radio Park’s renovations and that its parking lot along First Street will be extended as part of the project.
The parking lot will remain open during the museum’s hours, she said.
“We’re planning on being accessible, as always,” she said.
Pracy, who’s been director of the museum for 10 years, said the facility has long had to deal with “public nuisance” problems, including people lighting fires near its front door at night that have caused its glass bricks to break from the heat.
The property will receive a security fence as part of the Radio Park renovation project, which Pracy says will help protect the 76-year-old museum.
“We think the project will be a huge improvement,” she said.
Amphitheater, 100+ new trees coming to Central Fresno’s Radio Park
Aguirre said the amphitheater coming to the southwest corner of Radio Park will be approximately 30 feet deep and 30 feet wide.
He said the park will also get more than 100 new trees of varying species, among them: deodar cedar, Chinese pistache, sierra red oak, scarlet oak, red maple.
“Those will enhance the existing trees, so there will be a nice shade canopy,” he said.
The soccer field at Radio Park — which is used for games on Sundays at different times of the year — will be reconfigured to run north-south, Aguirre said. According to the site plan he provided The Bee, the grass field will be converted into turf.
The site plan also shows sculpture gardens with art features, a “climb tower” for children and new walking paths.
