Three months after Sunset Dunes park opened on San Francisco’s former Great Highway, a stretch of asphalt that once shuttled thousands of commuters past ocean views has become something entirely different. Now, the windswept space is drawing visitors from across the city, and outside it, to one of San Francisco’s most historically overlooked neighborhoods.
The transformation has turned the outer fringes of the city into an unlikely destination, with kids playing on the interactive art structures, joggers taking advantage of car-free pavement, and first-time visitors discovering the area’s fog-shrouded shops and restaurants. But the park’s impact extends beyond recreation; it could be reshaping the economic and social fabric of a neighborhood that has long existed in the shadow of more famous San Francisco districts.
Sunset Dunes has become a litmus test for San Francisco’s push to close roads and create new public spaces. While some local businesses report dramatic sales increases and newfound foot traffic, others see little change, and the park’s creation has torn the community apart with recall efforts and bitter neighborhood disputes. Meanwhile, the park’s longer-term impact is yet to be seen.
Impact from Irving to Taraval
At Black Bird Bookstore on Irving Street between 46th and 47th avenues, owner Kathryn Grantham told SFGATE she has experienced dramatic business improvements since the park’s opening. The Outer Sunset resident, who has run her bookstore for the past nine years, reported a substantial uptick in business that has sustained even through San Francisco’s characteristically foggy summer months…