From Blighted Block to Community Backyard: Reimagining the 400 Block of Ogden Avenue

A Street That Serves Everyone, But Belongs to No One

Every morning, the 400 block of Ogden Avenue comes alive with quiet purpose. Commuters cut through on their way to the bus stop. Parents guide toddlers by the hand toward Ana's Childcare. Neighbors walk their dogs, pausing to chat over fences and cracked pavement.

Officially, though, this block doesn't exist. Ogden Avenue between Folsom and Gates is what's known as an "unaccepted" street: it was never formally taken over for municipal maintenance. There are no sidewalks. There's barely any lighting. No agency is responsible for what happens here.

The people who walk it every day know exactly what this block is, even if the city doesn't have a category for it. It's a lifeline to the bus. It's the path to childcare. It's a shortcut and a shared backyard, hiding in plain sight.

We think it's time the block became something worthy of the people who already rely on it.

The Vision: Greenspace and Play, Where Neither Exists Today

Picture a real, safe pathway to the bus stop instead of a rutted asphalt edge. Picture toddlers from Ana's Childcare taking their first wobbly steps on a soft play surface instead of gravel. Picture a bench in the shade, a mosaic catching the afternoon light, flowers planted by the people who live here, giving neighbors a reason to linger, not just pass through.

That's the future we're building: a community greenspace and playground, grown out of a forgotten stretch of street and the people who never gave up on it.

Where We Are Today

This is already underway, and real progress has been made during the current Schematic Design Phase:

A topographic survey is complete, giving us an accurate picture of the land we're working with.
A rough grading plan and pathway configuration have been drafted, laying the groundwork for how people will move safely through the space.
We've gathered design feedback directly from the people who use this block most, including neighbors and the parents at Ana's Childcare, so this space reflects what the community actually wants.
We're now reviewing proposals from three landscape architecture firms, the next step toward turning plans into ground truth.

We're still shaping the heart of the space too. The play structures, the flowers, the murals, and mosaics that will make this block unmistakably ours are all still open questions. That means there's still room for the community to leave its fingerprints on every part of it.

What Comes Next

As we move through this design phase, our focus turns to funding. We'll be writing grants and launching a donor drive to ensure this vision has the resources it needs to become a reality. Every dollar and every idea gets us closer to breaking ground.

This Only Happens Together

A block like this doesn't get transformed by a plan alone. It takes a community that decides the effort is worth it, and that's already happening here, in the feedback sessions, in the conversations at pickup and drop-off, in the neighbors who stop to ask how it's going.

Now we need that same energy behind the next phase.

Here's how you can get involved:

Donate to our fundraising drive and help us secure the resources to finish the design and begin construction.
Share your ideas for the playground, flowers, murals, and mosaics. This is still your block to help design.
Spread the word. Tell neighbors, friends, and local businesses about what's happening on Ogden Avenue.
Volunteer your time or skills, from grant writing to event planning. Every contribution moves us forward.

The 400 block of Ogden Avenue has quietly carried this community for years. Now it's our turn to give something back.

A Night of Mexican Spirits & Wine Tasting

A Fundraiser for Ogden Avenue Gardens