Sunset Supervisor to Back Ballot Measure to Put Cars Back on the Great Highway

The sand hasn’t settled on San Francisco’s Great Highway. Newly appointed District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong announced Friday that he plans to sponsor a ballot measure that would reopen the coastal thoroughfare to cars, setting the stage for yet another contentious showdown in the months ahead.

In September, District 4 residents recalled their former supervisor, Joel Engardio, for his support of a plan to remove cars from the road and create a park in its place. Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed Wong to fill Engardio’s seat earlier this month, but he’s been quiet about the controversial road. Wong, who previously worked as a legislative aide to former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar, made his plans for the Great Highway clear on Friday when pulling papers at City Hall to run for the supervisor seat in next year’s election.

“I believe my values align with the majority of Sunset residents who support reopening the Great Highway to cars on weekdays,” Wong said. “For the past 20 years, as a Sunset resident and military officer who runs along the Great Highway trail every other night, I’ve never had an issue sharing it with people driving or taking their kids to school.”

City leaders agreed to close a stretch of the Great Highway to cars during the pandemic to create more space for recreation and social distancing. As pandemic closures waned, a compromise was set so that the road would remain open to cars on weekdays but closed off on the weekends.

San Francisco voters across the city voted to permanently close the upper portion of the Great Highway by passing Proposition K in 2024, making way for a beachside park now called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of voters in the Sunset, who live closest to the park, voted against the measure, arguing it would snarl traffic and extend commute times.

To put the fate of the Great Highway before voters, again, Wong will need at least three additional supervisors to sign on to his proposal. It could go before residents next year. Some supervisors, including Connie Chan, Chyanne Chen and Shamann Walton, have expressed support for the idea in the past.

Engardio has continued to maintain his support for Sunset Dunes even after the recall, previously telling KQED that he believes he will be on the “right side of history.”

In a text message on Friday, Engardio said: “The future of the Great Highway was put to a citywide vote twice already in 2022 and 2024, and we should consider Sunset Dunes settled … Another ballot measure will not heal, help or solve anything. It will only cause harm by taking away all the benefits the park is delivering for the environment, the local economy and the physical and mental health of everyone enjoying more access to their coast.”

Critics of the park say that the road closure has led to increased traffic in the area, however studies from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency have shown minimal impacts and the city has been working to improve the flow of cars on other nearby streets. Others have claimed it was unfair for voters across the city to vote on a plan that heavily impacted one neighborhood.

“For too long, the Sunset has felt that government is something imposed on them rather than something that works for them,” said Wong, who was born and raised by immigrants from Hong Kong in the Sunset. He has served as a City College trustee, union organizer and member of the Army National Guard.

But supporters of the park, which include environmental groups, SF YIMBY Action, the Bike Coalition and others, have argued the road is already doomed because of climate change. The lower portion of the highway is already closed due to coastal erosion.

“The Great Highway lost its greatest utility as a direct connection to Daly City when the southern section fell into the ocean due to extreme coastal erosion. Traffic had to divert inland no matter what,” Engardio said. “Sunset Dunes is the best outcome for this situation, given the idle section of the Great Highway never had access ramps for cars.”

Other supporters point out that many residents from the neighborhood, across the city and region come to ride bikes, stroll and partake in other activities on the road now that it’s a public open space. Several local businesses told KQED they have seen an uptick in foot traffic since the park opened.

Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, called Wong’s decision to reignite the debate a “betrayal.”

“We are deeply disappointed with Supervisor Wong. We believed that he was serious when he said he wanted to help restore trust after a divisive few years in the Sunset. Instead, he’s doing the opposite: claiming he’d listen to constituents while actively turning his back on them,” Lux said. “The future of our coast will be a park, no matter what elected officials trying to score cheap political points do now. Climate change has decided that for us.”

Lurie stood by his appointee both literally and figuratively on Friday during his announcement to run next year to become the district’s elected supervisor. Wong was his second appointment to fill the seat, after an initial pick resigned within about a week following reports that she skirted taxes on her former pet store business in the neighborhood.

“Supervisor Alan Wong has already gotten off to an incredibly strong start,” Lurie said on Friday. “I look forward to supporting him in the June election.”

KQED’s Eliza Peppel contributed to this report.