Dumbarton Quarry Could Become a Regional Park

The Dumbarton Quarry — the gaping ,91-acre gravel pit near Coyote Hills, next to the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza — could become a lush regional park with hiking trails, campgrounds and an outdoor theater. 

According to the Fremont Argus, the Fremont Planning Commission approved the plan last week.

The Fremont City Council will vote to approve the project in September.

The proposed plan would take place in two phases over the course of 15 years. Construction would include filling the eastern side of 300-feet deep quarry with as much as 6 million cubic yards of soil, building camping facilities, hiking trails, picnic areas, a playground for children, an event center, and outdoor amphitheater and more.

Dumbarton Quarry Associates, which operated the quarry for the past 40 years, is responsible for all costs associated with construction. This is the company’s second attempt to convert the land, after a plan to build a 20-acre fishing lake failed in 2007, according to the Argus.

But the plan isn’t without its detractors, the Fremont Argus reports.

Environmentalists are concerned that contaminated soil from the Patterson Ranch development could be dumped in the quarry. If the contaminated soil isn’t removed, it could pose health hazards for visitors.

However, Mayor Bill Harrison told the Argus that the project is required to meet state water quality regulations and that any of the old soil would be covered by at least 50 feet of clean dirt.