City Finally Concedes Ocean Beach Pier Cannot Be Fixed and Reopened

The City of San Diego has finally conceded that no bandaid can fix the Ocean Beach Pier and it — as is — will never reopen.

The Union-Tribune announced it was “the end of an era for a crumbling Ocean Beach icon.”

The 58-year-old pier won’t reopen, after an engineer’s report found that stabilizing recent damage would be too costly. Instead, the city will keep moving forward with efforts to reimagine the pier’s future in the longer term and hopefully replace it.

“Due to the overall cost, timeline and feasibility of (stabilization) options, the city has decided to leave the pier as is,” city officials said in a news release Friday [August 23].

The Ocean Beach Pier was shuttered in October in anticipation of winter storms, but unlike in previous years, the beloved landmark did not reopen in the spring after a season battered by high surf. City staff sped up a long-planned assessment of the pier and posted new signs in the area, reiterating warnings to beachgoers and surfers to keep their distance — at least 75 feet.

The engineer’s report confirmed what many had seen: A piling on the south side of the aging structure — as well as a portion of the pile cap and large sections of its railing — had been wiped away by historic swells. The city received the final memo Thursday from consultants Moffatt & Nichol, which estimated the cost to stabilize the missing pile and reinforce another corroded pile cap on the north side of the pier would be about $550,000.

San Diego has already spent $1.7 million on temporary fixes to the pier in the last five years, not including staff time and other resources.

The U-T article also disclosed:

The pier’s indefinite closure may not come as a surprise to most.

This is truly an understatement. Locals have known for quite some time now that the pier would not reopen — although some had hopes that part of the undamaged structure could reopen in a limited capacity. Yet, as the U-T reported:

City officials have been working for over a year on a renewal project for the iconic landmark, after a 2018 study determined it was at the end of its service life. The plan is not yet certain, but both the community and the city prefer to replace the pier rather than undertake major repairs.

Some of us saw the hesitation on the part of the city as a way for Mayor Gloria to stall the bad news during an election year. Perhaps he thought that he would be blamed for the failure. Still there were cynics. And some of those cynics chaffed at the recent “news” that the Pier was done.

Yet, the news spread across San Diego — and even national news sites — for days. Here’s the Beacon’s take:

The Ocean Beach Pier has been closed since it was damaged by high surf in October 2023. Additional, and more significant, damage occurred in December 2023 when a support bracket – or “pile” – broke off and fell into the ocean. Engineering teams have determined that any work to rehabilitate the pier is not feasible, especially given the likelihood of additional damage occurring during future winter storms.

“The Ocean Beach Pier is an iconic landmark of San Diego, but it was built nearly six decades ago and no longer can withstand the impacts of rising sea levels and storm surges along our coast,” said Elif Cetin, assistant director of the Engineering and Capital Projects Department. “The decision on how to proceed factors in the likelihood that future storms will cause additional damage to the pier in coming years – and whether it makes sense to pour resources into a structure that will continue to need extensive repairs or to instead invest in the long-term pier-replacement project.”

A recent report outlines several immediate measures that could be taken to address the recent damage to the pier; however, due to the overall cost, timeline, feasibility, and environmental permitting that would be required for those options, the City has decided to leave the pier as is. Those immediate measures would not allow for the reopening of the pier. Additional repairs or rehabilitation would be required to reopen the pier, which would include extensive construction, heavy machinery, and the need to build a new structure to support the equipment and construction personnel.

While the pier does not pose an immediate threat to public safety, additional signage has been posted along the pier reminding visitors to be cautious when visiting the area. It references the San Diego Municipal Code that reads it is against the law for anyone to swim, wade, surf, or skin dive within 75 feet of any fishing pier owned or operated by the City.

A 2018 study determined that the pier was beyond its useful life, recommending pursuing its replacement. At the time, minimal repairs would have cost approximately $8 million, and rehabilitation would have cost approximately $30 million to $50 million. Since that 2018 study was conducted, the pier damage and construction industry repair costs have both significantly increased, further bolstering the case for replacement.

The City continues to make progress on the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project. There have been four community workshops since April 2023 to gather input from the community about what they would like to see in a new pier. That input was used to develop the preferred design concept for a potential replacement pier which incorporates iconic elements of the existing 58-year-old Ocean Beach Pier and aesthetic elements that offer something modern and new for future generations to enjoy. City consultants are currently making minor updates to the design concept based on the most recent feedback received from the community regarding specific pier amenities like lighting and shade options. This updated design concept is expected to be released this fall.

City staff are working to acquire the proper environmental permits for the project under the California Environmental Quality Act and engage with the appropriate stakeholders to get feedback during the Environmental Impact Report process, as well as acquire proper funding. The estimated cost range for the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project is $170 million to $190 million. This number is the estimated total project cost and includes everything completed so far for the community engagement process through the end of construction. Currently, $8.4 million in state funding is designated for the project.

If the project receives the proper environmental permitting and secures the necessary funding, demolition of the existing pier and construction of the new pier will take place concurrently. The new pier will be constructed over approximately the same footprint as the existing pier but with a higher deck elevation to minimize the potential for wave damage and account for future sea level rise. Work would likely start from the base of the pier, where it connects with the land, and work toward the west.

The timeline for the start and end of construction for this project is yet to be determined but will be provided once the environmental permitting process and funding acquisition process are complete. A current project timeline is available on the project webpage. The timeline and other information regarding the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project can be found at OBPierRenewal.com.