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About a dozen city officials were on-hand last month to dedicate Pleasanton’s newest public neighborhood park, Harding Park.
Located at 5801 Gibraltar Drive near two new apartment complexes next to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station and Hacienda, respectively, Harding Park features two playgrounds (one for smaller kids, 2-5 years old, and the other for older kids) along with a couple picnic tables, benches, water fountains and a small grass area surrounded by native, drought-tolerant plants and shade trees.
The park was constructed by Essex Property Trust, Inc., the developer of The Galloway at Hacienda and The Galloway at Owens apartment projects. The parkland was then dedicated to the city after opening, to be maintained by the city’s Parks Division.
Current Mayor Jerry Thorne and former mayor Bob Philcox each spoke at the dedication ceremony May 23.
The 35th neighborhood park to open in Pleasanton, Harding Park was named in honor of two influential community leaders from the middle part of last century: Warren Harding and his father Harry Harding.
Notably, Warren Harding served on the Pleasanton City Council from 1960-68, including a pair of two-year stints as the city’s mayor. He is credited with being heavily involved in the city’s first General Plan.
Professionally, Warren Harding worked as president of Community First National Bank, which was founded by his grandfather. He led the bank for decades until it was sold to another community banking firm before eventually being rolled up into US Bank.
Neighborhood parks like Harding Park are generally 10 acres or less and designed to address the daily recreation needs of the surrounding neighborhood — compared to larger community parks, at 10 acres or larger and designed to provide more active recreational opportunities for all Pleasanton residents.
