Sunset Dunes

The upper portion of the Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard was closed to motor vehicles on certain days starting in April 2020 to provide San Franciscans space to social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, the upper Great Highway would close around 27 times annually for sand and debris removal.^[7] In 2024, a ballot measure known as Proposition K was proposed by San Francisco supervisors Joel Engardio and Myrna Melgar to permanently close the Upper Great Highway and repurpose the space as a new park.^[8] On November 9, 2024, Proposition K passed 55% to 45%.^[2]

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department received a $1 million grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy Board to help convert the upper Great Highway into a park including restoring coastal habitat.^[9][10] New transit infrastructure upgrades were conducted on the roads around the Great Highway to accommodate the additional traffic present from closing the upper Great Highway.^[9][11][12]

After being closed to car traffic on March 14th, the park opened on April 12, 2025.^[13][5][2] At least 13,000 people visited the park on its opening day.^[14] Volunteers and city workers had helped to install benches, remove traffic lights, add wayfinding signs to nearby local businesses and add exercise equipment.^[2]

Before receiving its official name of Sunset Dunes, the park was referred to as Ocean Beach Park or Great Highway Park.^[15]

The park's name was selected following community engagement. The San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department initially received 4,200 name suggestions between March 1 and 16, 2025.^[15] These name suggestions were narrowed down to 3,200 potential names by Recreation & Parks Department staff members to eliminate inappropriate names. After a community meeting attended by 240 participants, 15 potential names that ensured "historical significance, connection to nature and geography, and iconic placemaking" were selected from the 3,200. A citywide survey was held from March 20 to April 2 to choose a name from the 15 potential names.^[15] The five finalists of this survey were Sunset Dunes, Playland Park, Great Parkway, Fogline, and Plover Parkway.^[13] The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission selected Sunset Dunes as the park's name from a group of five finalists on April 9, 2025.^[15][13][16]

Since the park's official opening in April 2025, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has initiated a Community Engagement Process to gather stakeholder feedback on the interim improvements and ideas for the future of park space. The community engagement process, along with feasibility and technical studies, will support a Visioning and Planning Process, that will begin in 2026.^[17] This planning process is paid for in part by a one million dollar Resiliency Grant to plan the future of the coastal park space.^[18]

Although many residents of the Sunset and Richmond District expressed concern that repurposing the roadway as a park may worsen traffic,^[15] a study released in April 2025 that collected local traffic data before and after the closure of the upper Great Highway showed that it led to minimal changes in commutes for drivers.^[19] San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency data and analysis released in July 2025 also showed minimal changes in travel times for drivers and no changes to transit service travel times or service quality.^[20] Local agencies promised to continue to collect data and address traffic and transit related issues across the Sunset District, should they arise.^[21]

Since the partial closure of the Great Highway, District 4 (which includes Sunset Dunes) Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled from office due to his support for Proposition K, and his replacement Alan Wong has backed returning vehicular traffic to the Great Highway. At the same time, the park is among the city's most visited, especially among District 4 residents.^[22][5]