San Francisco Neighborhoods · Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Fog zoneA close-knit, working-class community at San Francisco's far southeastern edge, wrapped by the green hills of McLaren Park — long anchored by one of the city's largest public housing developments, and now in the middle of a generational rebuild into a mixed-income neighborhood.
- Borders sprawling McLaren Park
- A major HOPE SF rebuild underway
- T-Third light rail right at the door
- Tight-knit, diverse community
On the map
Open Sunnydale on the map →The story
Built during World War II, the Sunnydale (later Sunnydale-Velasco) development became one of San Francisco's largest public housing complexes. After decades of disinvestment and isolation at the city's edge, it was selected for HOPE SF, the city's effort to rebuild its most distressed public housing without displacing residents. Demolition and phased construction are transforming the roughly 50-acre site into a mixed-income community of around 1,770 homes, with new streets, parks, retail, and a community hub. The arrival of the T-Third light rail line in 2007, with its terminus at nearby Sunnydale Station, finally connected the neighborhood to downtown by rail.
Things most people don’t know
McLaren Park at the doorstep
John McLaren Park covers more than 300 acres on Sunnydale's northern edge, making it one of the largest parks in San Francisco.
A generational rebuild
Through HOPE SF, the WWII-era Sunnydale-Velasco development is being rebuilt as a mixed-income community of about 1,770 homes, with new parks and neighborhood retail.
Light rail terminus nearby
The T-Third line's southern end, Sunnydale Station, opened in 2007 in the median of Bayshore Boulevard, linking the area to downtown.
Cow Palace next door
The historic Cow Palace arena, just over the line in Daly City, has hosted everyone from The Beatles to the Grand National Rodeo since 1941.
Eating and drinking near Sunnydale
Sunnydale is primarily residential — these sit in Visitacion Valley.
Restaurants
- Pho Luen Fat · 110 Leland Ave
- 7 Mile House · 2800 Bayshore Blvd, Brisbane
Bars
- Mission Blue · 144 Leland Ave
- 7 Mile House · 2800 Bayshore Blvd, Brisbane
Getting around and getting care
Transit. T-Third light rail terminates nearby at Sunnydale Station, in the median of Bayshore Boulevard at Sunnydale Avenue. Muni buses include the 8-Bayshore, 9/9R-San Bruno, 29-Sunset, and 56-Rutland serving the surrounding Visitacion Valley area.
Nearest hospital. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, 1001 Potrero Ave (about 5 mi)
Thinking about Sunnydale?
Send me an address and I will come back with its sun, wind and fog, what is under it, and what has closed on the block.