In the early 20th century, Neptune Beach in the San Francisco Bay Area was known as the Coney Island of the West. Beachgoers flocked to the waterfront amusement park in Alameda to ride the roller coaster or watch synchronized swimming and high dive shows on the weekends.
Historians say the Popsicle, that beloved frozen summer treat, was first sold at Neptune Beach. The park declined and eventually shut down during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Nearly a century later, a development group headed by a San Francisco architect is proposing a beachfront project that's a tribute to the memory of the park. However, this 21st-century venture would be a surf park, an experiential entertainment category that's taking off around the world, including in places where there's no ocean in sight.
Improvements in artificial wave technology in the last few years alongside consumer demand for activities, events and diversified shopping hubs have helped the surf park concept catch on.
The Los Angeles-based firm Aventuur wants to build ground-up projects in Austin and Dallas in Texas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, Florida. Each site is designed to revolve around a high-capacity surf pool — capable of generating 1,000 waves per hour — paired with hospitality, retail and residential components.
The global surf park and wave pool industry is valued at $4 billion, with forecasts of 20% annual growth, according to trade group Surf Park Central. The U.S. is wide open, with only a few parks completed and a few more planned.
Real estate possibilities
William Duncanson, a principal at BAR Architects and Interiors, is part of the group that's working to make the Neptune Beach Surf Club a reality on the western end of the Alameda waterfront, about half an hour east of San Francisco, on a stretch of some of the most underutilized and coveted real estate in the Bay Area.
Duncanson’s $50 million proposal includes a wave pool capable of providing artificial swells for all levels of would-be surfers plus a beach “experience” with cabanas and chaise longues, a swimming pool, a spa, a restaurant and other amenities for visitors who want to learn to surf — or experienced surfers hoping to keep in shape — as well as those looking to just lounge and enjoy a beach day.
City officials are gathering feedback on the project from residents of this family-friendly city, known for its iconic Victorian homes and decommissioned naval air station, which closed down in 1997.
“We’re constantly looking at the different possibilities,” Assistant City Manager Amy Wooldridge told CoStar News. She noted that while the project is still in the “very exploratory” stages, there’s been strong support for the proposed surf park.
Duncanson and his partners on the project, the surf park advisory firm Pro Swell and San Francisco-based Urban Mix Development, have also sweetened the deal with plans to upgrade surrounding roads and parking facilities as well as redeveloping an adjacent campground for public use.
Surf hospitality
The site has been largely vacant and underutilized in recent decades due to a combination of government red tape, environmental cleanup delays, politics and market forces. But the city has in recent years embarked on a broader effort to redevelop the approximately 1,500-acre former military base and its empty buildings and properties into a mixed-use neighborhood with thousands of homes and job-creating commercial spaces.
In addition to the surf club, the city is considering proposals for a 12-acre nuclear fusion research laboratory from a clean energy start-up and a 500-seat performing arts center and event space at the site, which is known as Alameda Point.
Duncanson, an avid surfer for 40 years, sees the park as a perfect complement to the Alameda waterfront, which is a popular spot for sailing, canoeing and paddleboarding. “There’s already this great ecosystem of aquatics activities out there, and we think we slide right into that,” he told CoStar News.
About eight years ago, Duncanson was asked to help develop a boutique surf resort, and since then, man-made wave parks and “surf hospitality” have been his specialty.
“Everyone that experiences one is hooked pretty fast,” he said. “There are lots of people who are what I call ‘surf curious’ who are interested in surfing but are intimidated by the ocean for a number of reasons — maybe they’re cold or afraid of sharks. A wave pool can eliminate those barriers.”