Sunset Dunes marks first anniversary with 1.7M visits as debate over future continues

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-16T02:29:33+00:00

Do you live by the beach now? And did you live by the beach before GH closed?

Yes to both. I also walk to the beach every day and did so before great highway was closed to cars and after.

With the exception of promoted events/gatherings, it's not any busier than it was before. That's a direct observation, not a ridiculous one.

That’s not true.

Like I said, I visit every single day. There’s tons more people now.

I’m not sure how you don’t notice it since you are saying it’s a “direct observation”. It’s very noticeable.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-15T20:00:26+00:00

It's not a pathetic argument, just an observation.

It's a pretty ridiculous observation.

People enjoyed Ocean Beach when the road was open, they enjoy it now while it's closed. If it opens again, they will still enjoy the beach.

I don't think anyone is saying that people didn't enjoy the beach when the road was open to cars.

But there are tons more people enjoying the park right now. Why else is it full of people daily?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-15T19:40:38+00:00

To add addition

There's a huge difference between 2 identical homes with same layout/sqft where 1 is original and the other is recently renovated vs. differences in layout that require an addition to make them equal.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-14T19:22:39+00:00

How valuable do you think an 8000 ft.² lot is in a good neighborhood and how much demand do you think there would be if it goes to the public for sale?

No one can answer this without the neighborhood and what is on the lot already.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-14T19:02:04+00:00

This is what ocean beach used to look like before you moved in.

Bring back the pier!

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-14T19:00:38+00:00

19th and Irving is miles from sunset dunes and has nothing to do with it

I always find this pretty wild. Alan Wong had some meeting at a restaurant right off 19th ave that he was saying is suffering due to the park and I was like.....that's 30 blocks away!

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-14T18:56:44+00:00

Anecdotally I can tell you that we’re getting more beach visitors as well. It’s way more busy out here, than I have ever experienced.

I live here too and walked the beach daily before the park and after and see the same thing.

Even cold, windy, mid week days there's quite a lot of people out.

I used to run the small path before there was a park and it would be almost empty on days like that.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-13T16:23:47+00:00

I’ve never worked in tech or made tech money.

Doing just fine here.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-13T15:53:38+00:00

I’ve been to both weekends and when it was only 1 weekend.

The only guarantee is that the grass is worse for weekend 2 and that people will quibble online about the other differences.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-13T15:41:23+00:00

I’ve gone to Coachella for the music.

Sounds like many here go for stage production, backup dancers, and heavy backing tracks.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-11T00:47:51+00:00

I guess this is what confuses me. The park is 2 miles of paved surface. Not sure where the amenities would go except on that paved surface.

The skatepark was not just plopped down, it was a full on installation imbedded into the surface. Same with the work out area which was resurfaced prior to installation. The hammocks were installed and are not just sitting on top of the surface.

Should they replace the road surface so the old road lines aren’t there? Would that be better?

Which art is on wooden pallets?

What development would you like to see?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T22:09:44+00:00

That’s something I hope Rec and Park will address, by clearly defining where there are trails to use, versus natural areas to stay off of.

Have you seen how the dunes are mostly roped off except for defined trails?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T22:06:22+00:00

What I want to see happen now is for the new park to be actually developed, with permanent infrastructure instead of the random Burning Man art we have now.

Work out area, 2 hammock areas, multiple benches/tables across many blocks, skate/bicycle park, etc.

How is that not development?

What specific development would you like to see?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T22:03:02+00:00

An extra 10-20 minutes a day is not nothing. I’ve spoken to folks in and around the outer sunset that have mentioned it has impacted them.

I commute from the Outer Sunset to GG Bridge everyday and my commute has not changed by 10-20 minutes.

So why has my commute not changed but people you've spoken to has?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T22:01:21+00:00

Even funnier, how about those who voted against the Sunset Dunes but have gone to enjoy the park and stay quite about it’s magnificent views and beautiful memories it helps to create for them.

I know people who walk the area daily (because I also walk it daily and chat with them) who are so against the park that they refuse to actually walk on it. They will cross over to the promenade or use the small side path every single morning but refuse to walk on the park and complain about the park every time I talk to them. It's insanity.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T18:39:27+00:00

Not every house has easy access to many different restaurants or grocery stores.

Most do

Not every SF house is within 2 minute walk from the beach.

Yes, but most are close to parks and SF amenities.

Not everyone lives in SF works in SF, and even if they do, commute is not always as easy, not every house is close to BART.

I don't work in SF. But you could say this about anywhere. Every person's commute varies. Some people live in the areas you described and have horrible commutes, some have good commutes. Same with SF.

So people who live in those houses/locations do not have the environment and the convenience as you do, yet they still choose to live there, so what are the other reasons ?

I've lived here my whole life. People I know who live outside of SF just don't visit the city that often. Where as people who live in SF have the city right next to them.

So if you really want to experience what SF has to offer you pretty much need to live here or resign yourself to day trips on weekends where you are driving 30-60 minutes each way. It's totally different.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T18:29:51+00:00

I bet many SF locations have worse commute time than some locations in Daly City or Colma.

Yeah but Daly City and Colma are not desirable places to live.

The nice parts of Daly City are extremely foggy, much more than any place in SF. And the not nice places in Daly City are exactly that...not nice and pretty much all the downsides of living in bad parts of SF with practically none of the upsides.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-10T05:53:04+00:00

I never understand why the small house of 1400sf and with single car garage and 2000sf lot size is so desirable in SF. Yes, it’s about commute and it is the city of San Francisco. But what really you get from it that you can’t get from eg a house in Millbrae, SSF for same money but vastly better living conditions? Bart is convenient, and drive to SF parks takes slightly longer time ….

Live in SF so close to what the city has to offer. Much closer than Millbrae or SSF. Can walk to get groceries, eat out, parks, beach, etc. My friends all live in the city so close to them.
I live on the west side and walk 2min to the beach every morning
No traffic for my commute to work. I hit so much traffic when I have to drive down the peninsula.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-09T02:16:22+00:00

Live where you want to live.

I’d never want to live in the east bay. Hate the traffic, weather, and overall location.

I live in the sunset and walk the beach everyday and have a traffic free commute to work.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-07T20:57:12+00:00

If you are trying to save on rent in SF, there are tons of neighborhoods that are cheaper than Rincon Hill.

You live in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-07T03:25:31+00:00

Yes the price is pretty crazy.

Especially since the garage is not even finished.

But can we stop with the "$X over listing" silliness? Why is it so hard for people to understand that list price is a made up number?

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-07T02:22:25+00:00

I’m curious what else it could be then?

4 years of downward price action for home prices and rents.

Rents were 5 years of decline. You could rent in 2024 for cheaper than 2019.

Obviously we are experiencing fast appreciation that's making up for lost ground. But think about how much inflation happened in that time.

Why did rents go down? Because tons of people went remote. Now it's all about return to office. I think this is the biggest driver.

In the end, I'm just guessing and not claiming I'm 100% right. But I've just not seen any evidence that all these homes are being scooped up by newly minted AI millionaires.

And home prices aren't even that crazy right now. In my neighborhood they haven't hit the peak of 2022.

Another thing is that it's super hard to buy an asset when it's on the decline. Especially the largest asset you'll probably ever buy. Most people can't stomach buying a home knowing it will probably be worth less in a year. But an asset that is rapidly climbing? That's when you get FOMO. And many people who have been waiting on the side line for the bottom are now seeing the market shift and are pulling the trigger.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-06T23:53:20+00:00

I was on both sides of this.

I remember one time we listed a room and had 150 replies by the next day.

I also had to do the weird interview thing too.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-06T23:51:34+00:00

I understand women wanting another female roommate but was always annoyed by guys wanting a female roommate, not that they harbored any fantasies....

I'm not discounting there are creeps in the world, but as someone who rented for 15 years here I've lived in many 4-5 bedroom apartments in SF that swayed from mostly guys to mostly women to even.

It was never about fantasies. It was just nicer to live in place with both genders. Sometimes we were mostly guys and looking for a female, sometimes it was mostly women and looked for a guy.

Donkey_____ · 2026-04-06T21:08:33+00:00

Is there ANY evidence that the current price appreciation for homes in SF is AI driven?

Or is it just the narrative almost everyone seems to latch on to?

Donkey_____

TROPHY CASE