Why restore Sharp Park?
Sharp Park represents one of the great restoration opportunities on California’s coast. Sharp Park Golf Course is a failing enterprise: it loses money annually, it kills endangered species, and it exacerbates flooding risks faced by surrounding communities. The status quo simply cannot hold. San Francisco faces two choices at Sharp Park. San Francisco could privatize course management, bust the labor union, dump tens-of-millions of dollars in private investment into course improvements, and create an exclusive golf course charging $120 per round. This gambit would fail: today’s economic climate won’t provide that level of investment; there aren’t enough golfers in the Sharp Park market to make the gambit work; and regulatory agencies like the Coastal Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Fish and Game wouldn’t permit this use. A better choice is to restore Sharp Park and convert it into a beautiful community-centered model for outdoor recreation, natural flood c
Sharp Park represents one of the last great restoration opportunities on California’s coast. Sharp Park Golf Course is a failing enterprise: it loses money annually, it kills endangered species, and it exacerbates flooding risks faced by surrounding communities. The status quo simply cannot hold. San Francisco faces two choices at Sharp Park. Some are demanding that San Francisco privatize course management, fire the existing unionized workforce, dump tens-of-millions of dollars in private investment into course improvements, and create an elite golf course charging approximately $120 per round. This gambit would fail: today’s economic climate won’t provide that level of investment; there aren’t enough golfers in the Sharp Park market to make the gambit work; and regulatory agencies like the Coastal Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Fish and Game are unlikely to permit such a use. A Restoration Vision for Sharp Park A better choice is to restore Shar
