Renderings: Ocean Beach Pier's planned upgrade
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A rendering of the planned Ocean Beach Pier. Photo: Courtesy of the City of San Diego
The city unveiled plans for an extended and elevated Ocean Beach Pier, with architectural designs and new amenities based on community feedback.
Why it matters: San Diego's iconic and aging pier, one of the longest on the West Coast, needs replacing due to deterioration and damage from high surf and storms that have caused sporadic closures through the years.
The preferred pier design — the "braid" — utilizes multiple pathways along the 2,000-ft pier, including improved ADA access. The proposed new and upgraded features include:
- An elevated walkway, a cafe and shop with bait and gifts, a new restaurant, restrooms and an open plaza with seating.
- Two fishing terraces with city and ocean views, plus fish-cleaning stations.
- A surfer's lounge with shaded, terraced seating to watch surfers catch waves.
Between the lines: The city sought input on the pier renewal project from thousands of local residents through surveys and workshops over the past year.
- In addition to the new amenities, the pier is higher to accommodate rising sea levels and offer better protection against crashing waves.
- The team is still gathering input from community members through a survey.
Flashback: The historic fishing pier, built in 1966, has been closed since October because of storm damage.
- San Diego has spent at least $1.7 million on temporary fixes over the past five years, and the pier's been closed about 30% of the time since early 2019, per the Union-Tribune.
State of play: The city is still assessing whether to repair and stabilize the current structure for reopening.
By the numbers: The estimated cost of a new pier is $170 million-$190 million. The city is working on securing more necessary funding from the state and through federal grants.
Reality check: Before any demolition or construction begins, the project needs environmental reviews and permitting, which could take two years.
- The city plans to start building the new pier by 2026, according to the U-T.
What's next: The architecture, engineering and design firms, including Civitas and Moffatt and Nichol, will reveal a final concept later this year.