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Supervisors Submit Ballot Measure to Create a New Oceanfront Park along San Francisco’s Ocean Beach

Measure proposes a 17-acre oceanfront recreation space and promenade increasing coastal access; commuters will be diverted to new routes optimized for reliable (sand-free) north-south access across the City

Tuesday, June 18, 2024. San Francisco, California –  Today Supervisors Joel Engardio and Myrna Melgar, in collaboration with Friends of Great Highway Park, along with fellow supervisors Dean Preston, Matt Dorsey, and Rafael Mandelman submitted a ballot measure asking voters to approve turning a 2-mile stretch of San Francisco’s Great Highway into an oceanfront park. If passed, the measure would make permanent an extremely popular coastal recreation area, and address effects of pollution and climate change on the city’s coastal ecosystem. With the southern section of the Great Highway set to close, traffic improvements are already in process to divert commuters inland.

This ballot measure builds on the tremendous success of the Great Highway park and promenade pilot programs that have been in place since 2020, and have attracted more than 3 million visitors – nearly 10,000 people per weekend, making it the city’s third most visited park. The flat, paved promenade allows people to enjoy the coast in ways not possible on the beach itself, facilitating access for people in wheelchairs, families with strollers, children on scooters and bicycles, and people skating. A permanent park enables park features like seating with ocean views, accessibility improvements for people with disabilities, play structures for children, and separate space for dogs.

“Our coastline is one of our city’s greatest treasures,” said Lucas Lux, an Outer Sunset resident and President of Friends of Great Highway Park, an all-volunteer community group supporting the measure. The group conducted over one year of community outreach to inform renderings of what a future park could look like, as depicted below. “Creating a permanent oceanfront park will enable more San Franciscans to get out and enjoy what makes our city special, whether they’re pushing a stroller or skating with friends. Building this park is our gift to future generations of San Franciscans.”

Images by CMG Landscape Architecture

The southern portion of the Great Highway (south of Sloat Boulevard) is already slated to close to vehicle traffic due to coastal erosion and rising seas. The roadway under consideration for the new park (Sloat to Lincoln) has become unreliable to commuters - the Great Highway currently closes up to 65 times per year due to sand accumulation – and is expensive to maintain, with sand clean up estimated to cost up to $1.7M per year.

The SFMTA’s plan – already in progress because of the frequent closures – is to divert cars to Sunset Boulevard and smooth traffic flow along both Lincoln and Sloat by replacing stop signs with traffic signals. This improved, seamless drive will keep drivers from cutting through neighborhood streets, and traffic studies indicate drive times will be the same or even faster. More details on the planned improvements are available on the fact sheet at www.GreatHighwayPark.com/Vote. 

By closing the Great Highway to private vehicles, the proposal also removes automobile pollution from our coastline. Run-off pollution, which comes from non-exhaust sources like brakes and tires, is one of the leading causes of oceanic pollution. “We believe Ocean Beach is no place for a highway,” wrote the San Francisco Group of the Sierra Club. “Creating a beachside park also presents an important opportunity to restore habitat and provide more outdoor educational experiences for our urban youth that so badly need it.”

“This project is an example of how our city can get things right,” continued Supervisor Engardio. “We heard from folks across the spectrum on this issue, and worked hard to address their concerns while also planning for the future that climate change will bring. We know San Franciscans love our parks, and we also know everyone needs to get to work, school, and everywhere they need to go. The result of all our planning is a win-win: an incredible new oceanfront park for everyone, and improvements to enable a smoother and more reliable north-south car commute that adapts to the closure of the southern end of the Great Highway.”

Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents District 7 in Southwest San Francisco, said, “As climate change continues to impact our most vulnerable communities, San Francisco owes it to the next generation to ensure we all have access to our natural resources. This legislation puts San Francisco on the right track to make our city blossom with joy and broaden access to our western shores.”

New Park Draws Endorsements

The weekend pilot program already draws more visitors to the coast, benefitting local businesses. Kathryn Grantham, owner of Black Bird Bookstore in the Outer Sunset, said, “I have watched the Great Highway become an open community space that draws people from all parts of San Francisco as well as tourists who before would never consider visiting this part of the city. More visitors to the neighborhood has meant more customers for my business. The impact has been hugely positive for my store.” 

Heidi Moseson, a mom who lives on Lower Great Highway, said, “the park has become my family’s go-to place to spend time together. I learned to skate while my kids learned to bike, all to the sounds of the waves. It’s the best of San Francisco.” 

Lucas Lux, President of Friends of Great Highway Park, said “We only have one coast, and opening it to people as a park will help more San Franciscans enjoy our city’s incredible natural beauty, and help protect that natural environment for future generations.”

Robin Pam, co-founder of KidSafe SF is delighted to support a new park and family friendly space that has already been the site of community picnics, parades and special events like The Great Hauntway., “We applaud the Supervisors for their leadership and vision for the future of San Francisco’s public spaces. San Francisco kids and families deserve easy access to safe open spaces for recreation across the city, from Ocean Beach to Downtown.”

“We need to celebrate the joy that exists in San Francisco and create more of it,” said Supervisor Engardio. “The decision to tear down the Embarcadero freeway was controversial 35 years ago, just as the decision about the Great Highway is today. I wonder, will the Great Highway for cars become as forgotten as the old Embarcadero freeway? I believe our kids and generations after them won’t be able to imagine San Francisco without an oceanside park. We are the lucky ones who get to create this joyful place that will define San Francisco for the next century.”

Read Supervisor Engardio’s full statement.

Friends of Great Highway Park is an all-volunteer organization focused on maximizing the public enjoyment and stewardship of San Francisco’s coast. Find out more at www.GreatHighwayPark.com.