Compare Sharp Park Options
Now is the time for San Francisco to decide the future of Sharp Park. The city has three options:
- Leave Sharp Park as is, and allow the course to continue losing money and killing imperiled species
- Close the golf course and restore Laguna Salada to its natural state
- Pay for expensive improvements to the course and the protective sea wall, which will necessitate privatizing the course
Partnering with the National Park Service to create a better public park for everyone is the best choice San Francisco can make at Sharp Park. But don’t take our word for it—compare the options for yourself.
| Impact on: | The Status Quo | Restore Sharp Park | Privatize Sharp Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Course | Sharp Park remains a poorly maintained, underperforming golf course | Sharp Park and the club house become the National Park Visitor Center for San Mateo County | Sharp Park becomes a private course that costs over $120 for a round of golf |
| The Environment | Sharp Park continues to illegally harm California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake | Creates diverse habitat where California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake thrive | Sharp Park receives permit to legally harm red-legged frogs during operation; garter snakes are still at risk |
| Pacifica | Sharp Park golf course draws few tourists and does little to boost the Pacifica’s economy | National Park Visitor Center draws tourists and becomes a cornerstone of redevelopment of downtown Pacifica | Sharp Park golf course draws even fewer golfers and tourists because of high cost of a round of golf |
| San Francisco | Sharp Park drains $30,000 to $300,000 a year from San Francisco city budget, City parks suffer budget cuts while the city subsidizes a San Mateo golf course | Costs the city of San Francisco nothing. Frees up money for city parks and recreation | Costs the city of San Francisco nothing |
| Recreation | Provides recreation opportunities for a small number of San Francisco and Pacifica golfers | Provide more hiking trails which are in high demand in the Bay Area. Also connects the 400-mile Bay Ridge Trail to the sea | Accommodates an even smaller number of golfers, as high prices drive away casual golfers and school groups |
| The Beach | The sea berm continues to cause beach erosion, which will likely destroy Pacifica’s beach within decades | A restored tidal lagoon system at Sharp Park will absorb ocean waves, slowing beach erosion | A $30 million reinforced sea wall will contribute to and possibly even accelerate beach erosion in Pacifica |
| Federal Taxpayers | Costs federal taxpayers nothing | Costs taxpayers only operating costs of the National Park Service | Federal government pays more than $30 million for course improvements and sea wall |
| Flooding | Course flooding threatens Pacifica homes | Gradual phasing out of the sea berm and replacement of natural lagoon system will protect Pacifica homes from flooding | Course flooding will continue to threaten Pacifica homes |
| Labor | Union job opportunities stay the same | Union job opportunities stay the same or increase, since the National Park System in unionized | Union job opportunities disappear, because private course workers will not be unionized |
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