San Jose considers plan to reopen Raging Waters
After its sudden closure last year, Raging Waters San Jose could see a temporary reopening this summer through a new management deal, city officials announced Thursday.
The San Jose City Council has a vote scheduled to consider approving California Dreamin’ Entertainment as the water park’s new operator for the coming season. Palace Entertainment, the previous operator, terminated a 20-year lease with the city in September.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who shared that his family frequented Raging Waters every summer while growing up in Watsonville, said during a news conference that the shortterm lease would provide the city with additional time to secure a permanent operator.
“We’ll spend less in the long run because we’re keeping it maintained,” Mahan said. “We’re continuing to invest in it, not letting it just disintegrate.”
City officials have been in discussions with various companies interested in taking up the lease and reopening the waterslide park. California Dreamin’ Entertainment plans to operate the park until September 2025, alongside a Raging Waters park in Sacramento. The company plans to invest $6 million in the park at 2333 South White Road for renovations, food trucks and an outdoor wine garden.
Following the reopening, the city will receive 6% of the gross revenue from Raging Waters, a slight increase from the previous agreement of 5.5%.
Neil Rufino, assistant director of the city’s parks department, said that most of this money will go toward the revitalization of Lake Cunningham.
The 23-acre theme park, which opened in 1985 as one of the first in the region, features 14 waterslides and a 350,000gallon wave pool.
“This proposal would help rejuvenate an East San Jose destination, ensuring that residents have access to high-quality, safe, and affordable experiences locally, while advancing lease revenue and capital investment in San Jose,” City Council members Domingo Candelas and Peter Ortiz wrote in a statement Thursday.
The City Council is expected to vote on approving the agreement on Feb. 27.
California’s Great America in Santa Clara, the only other theme park in the South Bay, is scheduled to close in the next decade. The owner, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, announced in June that it is selling the 46-year-old property for $310 million to San Francisco-based Prologis, a national real estate firm.