An opinion piece by Jane Natoli, arguing that urbanist San Franciscans won out in the battle over Prop. K, elicited many comments from readers. The Standard is publishing a selection of these responses, received via email, which have been edited for clarity and brevity.
‘The city is split along geographic lines, and Proposition K did not help.’
As a longtime San Francisco resident and homeowner in the Richmond, I was deeply offended by Jane Natoli’s article declaring that those of us who live on the west side are suburbanists. I value my walkable neighborhood and often use public transportation, but yes, I also drive, because I am an older adult and I need to get places quickly and safely. I live in San Francisco because I enjoy its urban feel and amenities, when I could easily move to a “real” suburb. Those of us who live on the west side are inconvenienced by another road closure, so those individuals who chose to live on the east side can come and recreate here. Natoli is right that the city is split along geographic lines — and Proposition K did not help. — Ruth Ramsey
‘There is no better park than a world-class beach on the Pacific Ocean.’
Proposition K is a case in which the idea sounded so good and checked so many boxes for people — “oceanfront park,” “transformational,” “urbanist”— that at a certain point, folks just weren’t going to let facts stand in their way. A new “park” actually doesn’t make much sense in that location. Ocean Beach is already an amazing park. There is no better park than a world-class beach on the Pacific Ocean, with waves, sand, sun, crabs, beach volleyball, fire pits, and so on. Trying to create a “park” where the current Great Highway is feels like gilding the lily at best. It seems certain that this effort will crash, like a wave, into reality, and we will hopefully end up returning to the current compromise that we should have appreciated in the first place. — Sam Maslin
‘The bitterness of these battles is likely to intensify.’
This article perfectly reflects the arrogance of the proponents of an “urban” vision for San Francisco. The notion that history and rightness is on their side has often been the justification for injustices, ranging from urban-renewal programs to [the 19th-century ideology of] Manifest Destiny. Cities are diverse environments, encompassing a variety of cultures and lifestyles. The monoculture that the author envisions may appeal to some, but certainly not all San Franciscans. San Francisco’s west-side residents are justifiably outraged that one of the main routes they use to conduct their daily lives is being appropriated to create yet another playground for the urban elites. The bitterness of these battles is likely to intensify. — Jeff Jones
‘Please leave the Great Highway alone during weekdays.’
Jane Natoli would like to set up an identity conflict between dueling San Francisco tribes: the YIMBY urbanist future-looking “good guys” on the east side of San Francisco, versus the NIMBY suburbanist status-quo west-siders with their — trigger alert — “well-manicured lawns.” I reject this false dichotomy. In this particular instance, a permanent urban park taking out the north-south Great Highway artery is a bad idea. If her dreams of a sand-dune urban park do come true, “where the wind’s like a whetted knife,” I would like to solicit her advice. I fancy cashing in and setting up a caffeine boutique there to service the anticipated flood of weekday east-siders, but I can’t settle on an appropriate name: Hypothermia Café or the Sandinyour Coffee? — Ian Keay
‘There will be repercussions ’
Nice to see YIMBY getting its proverbial day at the beach. But there is a problem: money, lots of it, not to mention a lack of vision about transit on the west side. (More like tunnel vision.) As long as YIMBYs ignore community input, there will be repercussions at the ballot box. — Aaron Goodman
‘I am insulted you called our little beach community “suburban.”’
The Embarcadero Freeway was not in a residential, single-family-homes neighborhood. It was located in a commercial community and tourist area. The new Embarcadero is a four-lane road with bike lanes and pedestrian walkways — exactly the same as the current Great Highway is configured. Consider this: 45th Avenue has a stop on every corner from Sloat to Lincoln. Imagine three cars on each corner during rush hour and school dropoffs spewing exhaust. The increased pollution from cars using the neighborhood streets will also affect climate change. — Shawna J. Mcgrew