Vote Yes on Prop K for Ocean Beach Park

A vote for Prop K, to create a new "Ocean Beach Park" at the Great Highway is a vote for critical environmental restoration as well as creative, joyful, and necessary climate change mitigation. The SFLCV endorses it enthusiastically. This measure represents a generational opportunity to create a truly world class public space in San Francisco - we should seize it!

This stretch of the Upper Great Highway immediately south of Golden Gate Park, running alongside Ocean Beach from Lincoln to Sloat, was closed to cars during the pandemic and quickly became a favorite destination for thousands of San Franciscans. Even now, the park attracts 10,000 visitors each weekend. Creation of the Ocean Beach Park will end the current “park on weekends, highway on weekdays” hybrid approach (which is set to expire in 2025 whether or not Prop K passes). 

Prop K will decide the future use of this area, ending its use as a roadway, as the necessary first step towards creating a world class park. In the short term, Prop K would allow Rec Park to add basic amenities like seating and play structures not possible in a part-time park. Longer term, Prop K's success would enable a public planning and design process to bring the park to its fullest potential.

This stretch of the Great Highway is frequently unusable as a roadway due to blowing sand. As a park however, it would serve as a natural, flexible buffer to rising sea levels, and a smart climate mitigation with recreational benefits. Regardless of how San Francisco votes, the beach front is changing due to global warming, and we would be far better served by creating an adaptive recreational space rather than doggedly holding onto a roadway that becomes increasingly expensive to maintain.

Opponents’ primary argument is that closing this stretch of the Great Highway will slow traffic to Daly City by forcing cars inland. This opinion ignores the fact that cars traveling the Great Highway are already scheduled to be re-routed inland at Sloat Blvd, at the southern end of the proposed park. This pre-existing plan is in response to coastal erosion. In order to deal with this change, the City is planning to make traffic flow improvements at Sloat Blvd to minimize traffic flow disruptions. However, if Prop K passes, the City could make those improvements at Lincoln Boulevard instead of Sloat. Traffic flow disruptions would be similarly minimized while also allowing for the creation of a world class park.

Finally, beyond the climate change related considerations, there are additional environmental benefits that are important in and of themselves. Moving a highway from the ocean side reduces run-off pollution from brakes and tires, and will also better enable long-neglected dune restoration work in this sensitive coastal habitat.

The SFLCV encourages you to vote YES! On K, Yes on Ocean Beach Park!