Two weeks into his new role as the Supervisor of District 4 in San Francisco, Alan Wong is seeking ways to increase the number of parking spots throughout the Sunset neighborhood.
“Parking access is one of the most consistent concerns I hear from Sunset residents and small businesses,” Wong said Tuesday during a discussion with District 4 residents. “Today is about listening to the people here who live and work in the Sunset. They experience these challenges every day, and the perspectives help inform any next steps.”
Wong said he is going to submit a formal request to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, asking SFMTA to do a comprehensive review of the areas of opportunity where more parking spots can be added.
Wong invited several small business owners and residents from District 4 to City Hall to hear about how lack of parking has negatively impacted them.
Pat Maguire is the co-owner of Java Beach Cafe and Java Beach at the Zoo, two cafes in District 4. He said that after parking spaces were taken away near his businesses, it became “a total disaster.”
Small businesses cite declining customers
Tony Lee, owner of Sun Maxim’s restaurant, also described how reduced parking on Irving Street has harmed his business and others located on the street.
“People cannot park,” he said to Wong. “Lots of those restaurant businesses, they have lost customers.”
At least two things have impacted parking in the area. The city’s implementation of the state “daylighting” law, which makes it illegal to park within 20 feet of a crosswalk, has taken away parking spots as curbs are gradually painted red. Additionally, modifications to the L-Taraval Muni light rail line by adding new pedestrian crossings and boarding islands on Taraval Street has also taken away many parking spaces.
The addition of angled parking on wide streets, Wong said, could be a possible fix. Angled parking can add more parking spots along curbs versus parallel parking because cars parked at an angle use less space.
“Where could there potentially be parallel parking that could be changed to angled, diagonal or perpendicular parking, so that we could potentially increase parking by a huge percentage?” Wong posited to the group of business owners and residents.
Wong’s suggestions are not the first time that angled parking has been proposed along the commercial corridors in District 4.
In 2017, District 4 residents overwhelmingly rejected SFMTA’s proposal to add angled parking to several streets adjacent to Taraval Street.
SFMTA sent out ballots to residents living on streets located adjacent to or near Taraval Street, asking them if they would like to have angled or perpendicular parking replace parallel parking. Of the 25 street blocks asked, only one approved the proposed change.
Seeking input from neighbors
After sending a request to SFMTA, Wong plans to gather input from neighbors living on streets where more parking spaces could potentially be added.
“I’d also want to consult the neighbors, because some of the neighbors might have concerns about having parking in front of their own residences,” Wong said.
He is requesting that SFMTA complete the review by Jan. 15, 2026.
Margaret Graf is a long-time Sunset district resident who founded Senior Power, an organization that helps advocate for the needs of older people.
She is particularly hoping to see more parking along District 4’s commercial corridors, where restaurants, doctor’s offices, convenience stores, and other businesses provide services for the older residents in the Sunset district.
“I’m making a plea for better parking for seniors and people with disabilities,” she said to Wong. “It’s making life miserable and uncomfortable for them, and it’s shutting them in and limiting their where they can go.”