Sunset Dunes park, created from two miles of what was previously a highway along Ocean Beach in San Francisco, officially opened on Saturday. Turnout for the ribbon-cutting event exceeded all expectations, with Rec & Park's sensors counting 13,000 visitors. "This is second only to the Kaiser half-marathon in 2022," wrote spokesperson for the Friends of Sunset Dunes park Catie Stewart, in an email. This comes after Rec & Park's announcement that overall park visitation to Sunset Dunes was up by 25 percent even before the official opening.
"The enthusiasm from the community demonstrates just how integral the new park has already become for San Franciscans,” said Lucas Lux, President of Friends of Sunset Dunes Park. "Sunset Dunes is the city’s third most popular park, and if this new record is any indication, we suspect its popularity will only continue to grow."
As to the supposedly continuing controversy about the park so widely covered in the press: "The Golden Gate Bridge faced intense opposition. Too costly, too disruptive, too ugly, people said. That it looked like an upside down rat trap," said District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio in a speech to the celebrating crowd. "Imagine the social media posts if they had Nextdoor in 1937."
Streetsblog found only one person gathering signatures for the Engardio recall campaign, launched by people unhappy with the results of Prop. K and his support of the park. In addition, there were perhaps 10~20 protesters driving around on Lower Great Highway, intentionally creating a traffic jam with their cars, honking their horns, and attempting to disrupt the festivities.
Nevertheless, several news outlets continued to focus on the protesters and portrayed the park and celebration as somehow "controversial." That included KQED, the SF Standard, NBCBayArea, and Mission Local, to name a few. In Streetsblog's view, at this point, after two propositions showing that San Francisco voters soundly support the park, to continue to paint Sunset Dunes as contentious because of a handful of grumpy protesters is, well, silly.
On the other hand, the San Francisco Chronicle's Danielle Echeverria captured the feeling at the park perfectly with the headline "Pure joy."
As predicted, first indications are that the park is good for nearby merchants too, although time will tell to what degree. There was a sizable overflow from the park onto Noriega. The restaurants there were absolutely packed, with lines out the door.
More from Rec and Park:
The opening marks a new chapter for San Francisco’s coastline. Sunset Dunes is the largest pedestrian conversion project in California history, transforming 2 miles of the former Great Highway from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard into a vibrant, 50-acre surfside park.
Park-goers on Saturday strolled past vibrant murals celebrating surfing and sea life, engaged with interactive art installations, and watched as cyclists and skateboarders glided effortlessly through the new pump track. Others relaxed in newly added seating areas, enjoying the sound of local choirs and bands or took in cultural dance performances set against the backdrop of the ocean. Kites flew overhead as children practiced pedaling in the learn-to-bike zone and people with mobility challenges tried out adaptive bicycles.
More pics below:
