It’s been five years since the idea of a park along 11th and Natoma Streets in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. It’s going to be at least another seven before it comes to fruition.

Per Curbed SF, San Francisco’s Recreation and Park department finally purchased a near half-acre lot at 11th and Natoma Streets valued at over $10 million with the intention of turning it into a green space. The final price came out to just over $9.7 million, but that doesn’t include the costs required to demolish the five buildings currently on the property. 

Once they do demolish, however, they’ll begin building a park described as being similar in size to Patricia’s Green (.45 acres) in Hayes Valley. Funds for development and operations of the park will come from impact fees as well as from Rec and Park. The plan is currently en route to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration.

The reason for going out of the way to create a new green space has to do with lack of current parks in San Francisco’s District Six. It has the fewest parks of any district in the city, Supervisor Jane Kim said in the San Francisco Examiner.

The long wait has to do with the current leases on the property, which run until 2024. Assuming at least some of the companies see out those leases, construction will begin then. In the meantime, Rec and Park will run feasibility studies to identify interim uses of the lot and determine the specific amenities to be included in the park.