SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — It’s back.
The issue San Francisco voters may have thought was dead and buried is returning to the ballot this November. On Thursday, the San Francisco Department of Elections confirmed that a measure to reopen the Great Highway had qualified for the November ballot.
The measure would allow cars to return to the Great Highway on weekdays, threatening the future of Sunset Dunes Park, a permanent coastal park running along the city’s western-most edge.
November will mark the third time in four years San Francisco voters have weighed in on whether or not to allow cars on the stretch of roadway. While citywide voters cast their ballots in favor of turning the highway into a park, residents of the Sunset District where the park is located, largely favor the return of cars to the Great Highway.
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Sunset residents’ opposition to the park was largely behind the recall of the district’s former supervisor, Joel Engardio. Sunset residents have voiced concerns over traffic and cited impacts to local businesses among other factors as reasons to reopen the highway.
However, proponents of bringing cars back to the Great Highway argue there is no basis for such concerns.
Tung Ho (right) watches as his kids play in the sand along the Great Highway in San Francisco on Aug. 10, 2021 while it was closed to traffic. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“Data has debunked any remaining traffic concerns, and local businesses are flourishing thanks to the park, which this measure would destroy,” said Friends of Sunset Dunes in a statement.
“This measure would permanently close Sunset Dunes park, demolish all park features, make it impossible for people to enjoy the park on the weekdays, when 60% of visits happen,” the statement added.
Backers of the measure to reopen the Great Highway to cars include District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong and Albert Chow, a business owner who ran unsuccessfully against Wong in the District 4 primary. Opposition to the measure includes State Sen. Scott Wiener, a leading candidate in the race to fill former speaker Nancy Pelosi’s seat, and a majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Jeremy Julian Greco, another District 4 Supervisor primary candidate who is running again in November, also opposes reopening the roadway to cars.
“While I support the right of our community to place measure on the ballot, I am strongly opposed to reopening Sunset Dunes to cars,” Greco told KRON4. “Since opening, the park has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors. It has become a place where people exercise, neighbors connect, and families create lasting memories.”
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