SUPPORT MOSSWOOD PARK!

WELCOME TO MOSSWOOD! The mission of the Mosswood Park Recreation Advisory Council is to enhance, maintain and protect Mosswood Park and its surrounding neighborhood communities. The council strives to work with the diverse population represented by the Mosswood Park community to develop a strong, inclusive and impactful voice in order to improve the livability of our environment. We work to support the future of the park, the Recreation Center, and the historic Moss House.**The Council is You. The Council is Us. **
Want to get more involved with Mosswood Park? Join our group for monthly meetings and opportunities to engage more deeply in improving the park.

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN TO REBUILD THE REC CENTER!In 2016, the recreation center at the heart of the park was destroyed by arson. Its loss was very emotional for the community. In the 2022 “State of Play Oakland Report” from Stephen & Ayesha Curry’s Eat.Learn.Play foundation, one local girl describes her and her friends' reaction to the loss of their rec center. “I didn’t come back for years because I didn’t feel safe, and a lot of my friends never came back."Immediately, after the fire, Mosswood Park saw a loss of services and amenities that it offers to the public. Kids and parents were going to several different sites for afterschool and summer programs, until temporary buildings could be installed. However, the temporary structures are not sufficient to host all of the programs previously presented through the recreation center. Adult courses, dance, fitness, and computer education are all limited at the temporary structures.

A new building is needed (and long overdue)!"Starting in 2019, the City of Oakland worked with community members to develop a Park Master Plan. The design team of Leddy Maytum Stacey Architects (LMSa) with Einwiller Kuehl Landscape Architects lead a series of 6 community meetings. A list of priorities for the park was developed as well as design of a new center. To illustrate its importance to the surrounding neighborhoods, it will now be called the Mosswood Park Community Center.The new Center will be a two story 12,300 square foot (sf) building (replacing the 8,235 sf building) and will re-establish much of the old programing with multi-purpose spaces, staff office, education rooms, and an “inclusion center” for students with special needs. In addition, programs for children and adults will be expanded with a teaching kitchen, social/ dance hall, gallery, and expanded computer center with an “innovation lab” for teaching technology and art. Education and recreation will extend outdoors with 1.63 acres of outdoor improvements (the full park is 10.7 acres). There will be new outdoor event spaces, improved pathways and lighting, and new accessible picnic, ping-pong and chess areas. New plantings will native planting and habitat areas with educational and interpretive signage. All landscaping will be ReScape certified (for Bay friendly landscaping).The new Community Center is designed for the present and the future. The building is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, is all electric and will be net zero ready. It is about 10% more energy efficient than required by code and with the designed PV system installed it would generate about 75% of its energy needs. Additionally the design reduces the carbon footprint of construction by reducing the use of high embodied carbon materials such as concrete and steel. The main structure of the building utilizes innovative mass timber - a renewable and carbon sequestering material. Reducing the potential carbon impacts of the building address current global warming issues and improves air and water quality in direct relation to the park’s mission of wellness. Reliance on natural ventilation, daylighting, and on-site energy production set up the Community Center to serve as a resiliency center and emergency center in the event of heat waves, earthquakes, or major storm events.The Community Center and related landscape work will have all approvals, permits, and documents ready at the beginning of November 2022. However we lack the funding to complete the project. Currently we are seeking about $12M to complete the Mosswood Park Community Center Rebuild project.The good news is that voters just passed Measure U - a bond which can provide the money to Rebuild the Rec Center. Now we need to push our city officials to prioritize Mosswood. Make your voice heard! Contact city officials and let them know that rebuilding the Rec Center is a priority!

Helpful Links

Mosswood RAC Calendar: Check out upcoming meetings and events