Editor,
I recently had the chance to experience both the vibrant energy of the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary weekend and the newly transformed Sunset Dunes along San Francisco’s Great Highway, and it highlighted the incredible value public spaces have on communities.
After the concert, my friend Eliza and I sought a more enjoyable way to get home than waiting for crowded public transit or overpaying for a Lyft. We decided to ride the BayWheels bikes down the car-free stretch of Sunset Dunes – a decision that turned out to be a perfect ending to an unforgettable night.
Thanks to a voter-approved initiative, Sunset Dunes has transformed into an inviting area for pedestrians and cyclists. As someone who has often hesitated to ride a bike in the City, I found this car-free zone empowering.
On our return the next morning, we discovered a thriving community space filled with hammocks, art installations and families enjoying the outdoors. After seeing how this space has become a destination rather than just a pathway, the part seems like a no-brainer.
That’s why I was surprised to learn that some people are actively working to recall the supervisor who championed this project, citing concerns about increased foot and vehicle traffic. Yet, data from the Chronicle and SFMTA indicate that traffic levels remain stable and below pre-pandemic totals. During our ride, I noticed the Sunset area was pleasantly quiet compared to other parts of the City.
In a time when public space is increasingly threatened, investing in places like Sunset Dunes is essential. Public spaces support mental and physical health, and they provide invaluable returns by fostering community well-being. The joy I witnessed echoed the profound impact that such initiatives can have on our neighborhoods.
If you’re skeptical about the benefits of Sunset Dunes, I encourage you to take a stroll through this vibrant space. It’s a literal breath of fresh air and a testament to what communities can achieve when we prioritize public land for people.
Jen Peters, Bay Area Native, Communications Strategist
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Jen Peters
There has been a bike and walking path on each side of the highway for years to ride a bike on. Though Park and Rec have poorly maintained it. You really should try walking in the sand and walk along the water at the beach. You’ll get a breath of fresh ocean air. You can only see the ocean at intersections and only 5 blocks of the whole highway. Mostly weeds and warn down sand dunes is what you see. If you go to the beach, you should go to the beach and not spend time on an abandoned 4 lane asphalt highway. You’re breathing oil and rubber dust. Half the roads in Golden Gate Park are car free and open with beautiful lawns, trees, lakes, waterfalls to see. There are hundreds of car free miles in the park! I guess you missed the roll over car collision at the Great Highway and Lincoln. The normal 20,000 cars a day on the Great Highway have been diverted to residential city streets causing traffic nightmares, road rage and confusion for tourist visiting the city. It was gridlock at Lincoln and the Great Highway! I guess you missed the accident on Sunday.
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/2-injured-after-rollover-crash-near-sfs-great-highway/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/great-highway-crash-san-francisco-20811373.php
It’s nice you like coming to the city but traffic congestion and poor planning by the city made it miserable for the people who live on the west side of the city and also effects people coming and going from the North Bay and South Bay. The Great highway is a major transportation necessity for the safety of the residents to keep traffic off the surface streets. SFMTA itself admitted in their survey that traffic has increased and is worse. The Chronicle side stepped the issue and is biased going back to Heather Knight reporting.
This so called park is pushed by developers to build high rise condos with ocean views for the wealthy tech people. Supervisor Engardio hid closing the highway from his constituents and lied to us! He put Prop K on the ballot the last day so nobody could put a counter measure on the ballot. As a communication strategist, don’t you think a district supervisor should communicate the truth to his constituents? Would you like someone like that to represent you? Our counter measure is to get rid of him and get someone who represents the people, not big money YIMBY developers and tech money.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This woman MUST of been paid to write this fluff piece!
She ignores the fact that this is NOT a park but a closed road accessible to two-wheeled (but not four-wheel) electric vehicles.
It was much more salubrious when the road was just closed on weekends because the crap pretending to be “art” was absent.
If open space was a priority here, then why is APE allowed to commandeer the western end of GGP to put on this series of ridiculously overpriced “concerts”?
And why have the 55 acres of Strybing been privatized?
It is simply ridiculous to call a closed stretch of highway a “park.” Especially when it is cold, foggy and miserable the majority of the time,,,,,
LikeLiked by 3 people
You should not be so surprised at how quiet your trip was because the three weekends of concerts in GG Park has essentially shut down the ability to travel north/south from the Richmond to the Sunset since Chain of Lakes is closed and most of the traffic has been forced to divert to 25th (from the Richmond side) to Crossover and the jammed up 19th Avenue. The access to Sunset Blvd (the only only remaining north south artery because of the closure of the Great Highway) as been greatly impeded by the three weekends of concerts. So not only have the residents surrounding GG Park been subjected to excessive noise, traffic, litter) by the expansion to THREE weekends in August, we’ve also been “trapped” in our ability to drive north south. Yet another example of recreation trumping the ability of people to get to work, medical appointments, get to SFO, etc since the west side of SF is a transit desert and we depend on cars.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you tvnativesf for your clear and honest comment showing reasonable alternatives to this so-called “park” that is too expensive to properly maintain, and for the realistic perspective of what happened, how it happened and why. As a resident living directly in front of it and feeling the full impact of the diverted traffic which includes large commercial trucks thundering by in front of my home, I agree with you 100%. Enjoy our beautiful beach on the beach and share the highway with the vehicles that used to be there instead of endangering the neighborhood. And recall Supervisor Engardio for his refusal to include and represent his constituents.
LikeLiked by 2 people
if you are a resident of the sunset, you might be aware that many the numbers that the SFMTA used both leading up to the boat and promoting a yes vote were nothing but pure nonsense made up through no bid private contract, which provided garbage numbers and the Chronicle is known to repeat SFMTA so much for that. Also, if you live in the sunset, you might notice that it is quiet, but that those who live in the sunset, their traffic patterns have been forever changed, and those who are forced to make the detours outnumber those enjoying the so-called sunset dunes by more than 10 to one and almost any day. Well, that’s a difference between living in the area and a nice little visit for the special occasion or such we all know numbers can lie, and it should come as no surprise to you that not one precinct on the entire west side of the city voted to close the great highway so much for the wisdom of the people
LikeLiked by 2 people
omg yet ANOTHER paid pro/consultant writing on behalf of Engardio. Can’t wait for his recall to be over with. free pro tip–at least TRY not to sound like all the other paid shills before you. $700k really ought to buy you a little more than the same copypasta.
Frank Cheung
LikeLike
Per Jen Peter’s webpage, she is a professional advocate, living in Washington DC for the past 4 years. Here’s a quote: “She brings a strong blend of media expertise, policy fluency, and creative problem-solving to campaigns that seek to inform the public and influence change.” Seems sketchy and coincidental that she became so “empowered” after a simple bike ride. Or is she just problem solving for Joel’s campaign? https://collaborativecommunications.com/team/jen-peters/
LikeLike
LOL. What a load of nonsense. This clearly stinks of somoene who has been paid by the Stand with Westside Traitor Joel Campaign!
LikeLike
Thanks for reading everyone, and sharing your perspectives. While I don’t agree with many of these comments I’ll refrain from insulting anyone as many of you have me (and other supporters of Sunset Dunes).
One thing I want to make very clear: I have not been paid, have no ties to the recall campaign, and this is all my own thinking and I wrote this due to my own positive experience (whether you choose to believe it or not).
Go touch grass 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing, Jen! I’m sorry my neighbors who don’t support the park can’t keep help themselves from throwing insults at anyone who disagrees with them. I’m grateful you came, made memories with me, and felt compelled to share your positive experience with the world.
LikeLike
This letter reads like Lucas Lux fan fiction! However, it doesn’t pass the astroturf sniff test for me. Eliza is a Friends of Sunset Dunes person, a group which is indistinguishable from the no on A folks. I think we are all very familiar with these recycled talking points by now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jen Peters, visiting from Washington, D.C., paints a rosy picture of Sunset Dunes, but her letter misleads. The original compromise plan already allowed recreational use on weekends while keeping the road open on weekdays for families who need it for work, school, and daily life. That fair, shared solution was taken away under Supervisor Joel Engardio.
This isn’t “fun vs. no fun.” It’s about sharing vs. selfishness. Peters either doesn’t know the compromise was stolen from Sunset residents, or she does, and she’s using her PR skills to gaslight our community. And if her letter was just about “positive vibes,” why bring up the recall? She’s not even from San Francisco, yet she somehow knew how to submit a letter to the Richmond Review, and she added her job title. That looks more like calculated spin and résumé building than community spirit.
If her friend is Eliza, a vocal supporter of Joel Engardio and Sunset Dunes, then Peters knows exactly how Engardio bypassed District 4 residents and silenced the Sunset. Yet she deliberately ignored the compromise he erased, choosing instead to frame it as an “all or nothing” issue.
Her follow-up comment only underlined how out of touch she is. Telling Sunset residents to “go touch grass” ignores the reality that Sunset Dunes is sand, not grass. Meanwhile, Golden Gate Park’s grass was sold off to back-to-back concerts, with the City slapping a new $3/hour parking fee right before those events, making it even harder for Sunset families to enjoy what used to be free and public.
The gaslighting is strong, but the truth is simple. Sunset families deserve fairness, not visitors telling us to accept an all-or-nothing plan. We wanted balance. Engardio, and defenders like Peters, chose division.
LikeLike