Ocean Beach Pier is taking a breather, keeping its boards empty through storm season after recent batterings by nature have left it worse for wear. The city's decision to keep the 57-year-old ocean landmark closed, possibly into 2024, aims to preserve what storms have left behind according to officials.
The pier saw closure after closure, tallying up a shuttered state for around 30% of the past half-decade. The pier, standing since '66, has gobbled up nearly $1.7 million in repairs over the past five years, excluding staff costs and additional materials. After having been shut down on Oct. 20 due to high surf, the pier found itself suffering surface damage while under a cautionary lockdown.
“The cycle of damage and repairs for the Ocean Beach Pier has been an increasing challenge in recent years—and one that we cannot prevent," City Engineer Rania Amen, who leads the Engineering and Capital Projects Department disclosed in a statement obtained by the City of San Diego. Her team is poised to dive deep into an assessment of the aged pier once the storm season ends.
In response to its persistent plight, San Diego has sunk its teeth into the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project, a vessel for harboring long-term solutions, likely manifesting in a full-scale replacement. The public played its part, casting their hopes and ideas into the conceptual melting pot during community workshops. September's meet-up unveiled three preliminary design concepts: the Squint Test, the Remora, and the Braid, as relayed by the city's comprehensive report.
Backed by the City's Strategic Capital Projects, Assistant Director Elif Cetin attested to the pier's iconic status and the collective effort to shape its future, saying, “We have spent months collaborating with San Diegans about what they would like to see if the current pier is replaced, and we are excited to share that preferred design with the community in 2024,” according to the statement released by the City.
While the design concepts germinate in community discussions, the pier's fate still wades through a sea of red tape—from environmental impact reviews to further planning and design phases. A solid $8.4 million in state funding waits ashore, with city officials casting nets for additional state and federal grants to reel in a robust financial haul for the project.
