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People walk on the Upper Great Highway past a giant giraffe sculpture at the Sunset Dunes in the Sunset district on Nov. 14, 2025 in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Lea Suzuki\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
A rainy day last Sunday forced the rescheduling of Ploverfest<\/a>, a celebration of the first anniversary of the official opening of Sunset Dunes; however, it didn\u2019t dampen what\u2019s been a good year for San Francisco\u2019s newest park.<\/p>\n From April 12 of last year through March, more than\u00a01.7 million people<\/a> have visited Sunset Dunes, nearly 40,000 per week, making it one of San Francisco\u2019s most popular parks, according to the city\u2019s Recreation and Parks Department.<\/p>\n These days, most people visiting the park are enjoying the ocean views and probably aren\u2019t thinking much about the dissension surrounding its creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A reminder: Sunset Dunes is the result of Proposition K, a 2024 ballot measure that closed the 2 miles of the Upper Great Highway to car traffic for recreational space.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then-District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio championed putting Prop K on the ballot and its passage \u2014 55% of voters approved it citywide. However, in Engardio\u2019s district \u2014 largely the Outer Sunset next to the Upper Great Highway \u2014 about 64% of voters opposed Prop K.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n In this recall-happy era of politics, you know where this was headed. District 4 voters ousted Engardio in a recall election last September.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sunset Dunes\u2019 anniversary brought back memories of the Great Highway debate. The Chronicle editorial board also happens to be doing endorsement interviews this week with candidates running in the June election for District 4 supervisor, who could play a key role in Sunset Dunes\u2019 future.<\/p>\n Most of the candidates want San Francisco voters to decide again on the Great Highway question.<\/p>\n Mayor Daniel Lure\u2019s second appointment to fill the District 4 supervisor seat (that\u2019s a story in itself<\/a>) is Alan Wong<\/a>, who was a member of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees. He faces four candidates in the special election to finish Engardio\u2019s term, which ends in January:<\/p>\n Albert Chow owns a hardware store in the Sunset and was one of the leaders of the recall campaign.<\/p>\n Natalie Gee is an aide for District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Jeremy Greco is a campus coordinator at a San Francisco school.<\/p>\n David Lee is a political science instructor and a former Recreation and Parks Commission member.<\/p>\n All except Greco support a signature-collecting drive to place a citizen\u2019s initiative on the November ballot, asking voters to reopen the Great Highway to cars during the week, relegating Sunset Dunes to a weekend affair.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve written in support of a park<\/a>, even as a resident of the Outer Sunset<\/a>, and want to see it developed beyond a closed road to its full potential. It would be a long-term benefit for the city.<\/p>\n Sunset Dunes is a hit \u2014 1.7 million visits attest to that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n As for traffic worries, there are the inevitable backups, and some commutes may be a bit longer, but the worst fears about the Great Highway\u2019s closure haven\u2019t come true. Independent analyses of data by the city<\/a>, the Chronicle<\/a> and the Frisc<\/a> all found more rush-hour traffic on some routes (particularly Chain of Lakes Road, which crosses Golden Gate Park) and less on others, but it hasn\u2019t been total gridlock.<\/p>\n Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.<\/p>\n