2 S.F. mayoral candidates address plan to make Great Highway a park

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco mayoral candidates Aaron Peskin and Daniel Lurie spoke to residents of the city's Sunset District on Thursday to appeal to voters ahead of the November election with a focus on plans to convert a section of the Great Highway into a park.

People of Parkside Sunset, a group representing neighborhoods on the western end of the city, held a meeting at the Taraval Police Station. Local merchants and residents heard from Peskin and Lurie, who both emphasized that they will listen to neighborhoods and be a voice for the people if they are elected mayor.

RELATED : Sunset District residents resist proposal to close Great Highway to traffic

"Quite frankly, a year ago I wasn't thinking about running for mayor," Peskin said. "But I looked at the group of candidates and I listened to a lot of people around the city who really felt that we needed a voice for our neighborhoods. We've increasingly had a government that at a minimum doesn't listen to our neighborhoods and at a maximum has been against our neighborhoods."

"My administration is going to be responsive to you all," Lurie said. "We have elected leaders who have forgotten why they are in government. We have a mayor that has forgotten why she's in office. It's to serve the people. Right now, all of you small businesses are serving City Hall."

Lurie primarily discussed his priorities to address the city's most pressing concerns such as housing, homelessness, drug addiction and public safety.

But the audience also wanted to hear his thoughts on the Great Highway Park, a topic Lurie had never publicly addressed before.

The Great Highway, a roadway connecting Skyline Boulevard to the city's Richmond District along Ocean Beach, has been closed to cars in certain portions for several years due to coastal erosion. The section from Sloat Boulevard to Lincoln Way has been temporarily closed to cars on the weekends for four years as part of a pilot program to turn the area into an open space park.

San Francisco voters will be able to decide on the November ballot whether they want to permanently close the route to vehicles.

Lurie criticized the government's lack of in-depth planning and community outreach for the project.

"I am going to oppose the proposition this fall. I think it is not the way we should be making big decisions," Lurie said. "It's something I don't think was well thought out in terms of community involvement."

While Lurie had to fiercely campaign in unfamiliar territory, Peskin felt right at home. Peskin already knew many of the audience members by name and showed up early to talk to everyone one-on-one.

Lurie, who has not held a position in San Francisco government, believes his lack of political experience is an advantage since he is not part of the "broken system" and can bring new ideas to the table.

Peskin, who is currently the president of the city's Board of Supervisors, was quick to explain that experience makes a big difference.

"It took me four years as a member of the Board of Supervisors to understand the breadth and the intricacies of policy. It took me another many years to understand how departments that outlast elected officials work," Peskin said.

Much of Peskin's time was also spent listening to the audience's thoughts on the Great Highway Park. He would like to see if a compromise can be reached to please both sides.

Margaret Graf has lived along the Great Highway for nearly 60 years and said she wants the current pilot to remain so that it is only closed on the weekends and open to cars during the week.

"I kind of thought we had a good compromise," Graf said.

But if it came down to it, Graf would prefer giving the space to pedestrians and bicyclists over cars. She has seen that people of all ages are able to use the space because it is safe and accessible.

"I've seen seniors enjoying that space on the weekends. I've seen parents taking their kids there so they can learn how to ride a bike. I see high school kids with their skateboards because it's wide open, straight and level. Those are things that don't exist in all of our parks," Graf said.

She also thinks that the space brings people together.

"What it gives us is this sense of togetherness, community and it's for the people," she said.

Opponents of the project argue that the closure will increase traffic as cars would have to divert to other main roadways like Sunset Boulevard or 19th Avenue.

"As well as consideration for emergency exit routes, we have to keep that highway open. 19th Avenue is stopped up everyday, north and south. At Sloat Boulevard and at Lincoln Way, it piles up. Then if you go through Crossover Drive, it gets piled up," said Albert Chow, president of People of Parkside Sunset.

But Chow also sees the upsides of having the park and would like to see the city reach a middle ground.

"I really feel like we should have best of both worlds," he said. "If we do give two lanes to the park and two lanes to north and south, it will work."

Supervisor Joel Engardio, who serves the district that the Great Highway closure will have the greatest impact on, has supported the plan. He spoke at Thursday's meeting explaining the project's possible positive outcomes for the community.

"You're going to have this iconic park, this nexus of amazement. People are going to go there to be entertained, enjoy the culture, enjoy the beauty and spend money to help our businesses," Engardio said. "Why don't we think about the potential of this iconic, oceanside park and the spillover effect to all of our businesses on Taraval Street?"

While he acknowledged that the compromise of having the Great Highway closure reserved for the weekends is ideal, the California Coastal Commission has appealed the compromise three times as a permanent solution. Additionally, at least five supervisors are in favor of closing it 24/7, he said.

"I supported the supervisors putting it on the ballot ... it gives you a voice. Now you can actually vote against it. You can organize, you have a chance. Otherwise, it will just happen to you," Engardio said.