In 1934, a gun club opened on 9.5 acres beside San Francisco’s Lake Merced; 81 years later it closed

Aerial view of Lake Merced and surrounding coastal landscape San Francisco city officials have opened a search for private partners to redevelop a 9.5-acre lakeside property that was used as a private shooting range for more than 80 years. The move marks the final stage of a major environmental transformation along the western shore of Lake Merced. The property at 520 John Muir Drive was home to the Pacific Rod and Gun Club from 1934 until it permanently closed in 2015. After years of environmental cleanup, the city is now seeking proposals to turn the site into a public park and recreation centre.Decades of shooting leave toxic legacyThe Pacific Rod and Gun Club opened on the shores of Lake Merced in 1934, with skeet, trap and rifle ranges for local shooters. During more than 80 years of operation, shooting left large amounts of lead pellets and debris from petroleum-based clay targets in the soil and along the lake shore. When the club's lease ended in 2015, city officials closed the facility and began dealing with the pollution. The property is one of the largest areas of flat waterfront land around Lake Merced outside the nearby Harding Park Golf Course. According to announceme...