After years of delays and more than a little political back-and-forth, the Huntington Beach City Council has finally cleared the way for construction of a long-planned restaurant on the city pier. A narrow vote approved a completion bond that developers say will let them move from weekend pop-ups to full demolition and rebuilding.
The council squeaked out a 4-3 vote on Tuesday to approve a $1.3 million completion bond for Huntington's On The Pier, the restaurant-and-bar project planned roughly halfway down the pier. Mayor Casey McKeon, Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining and Councilmembers Gracey Van Der Mark and Pat Burns backed the move, while Chad Williams, Don Kennedy, and Andrew Gruel voted no, allowing the project to clear a major procedural hurdle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Former mayor and project partner Keith Bohr told the council he hopes the eatery will finally open in summer 2026. "It's been a long journey," Bohr said, as partners laid out an updated timeline that calls for demolition of the old Let's Go Fishing building in early February and a push to have the new restaurant ready by August to line up with the U.S. Open of Surfing, per the Los Angeles Times.
Lease terms, credits and the bond
The lease with Surf City Partners runs for 19 years and includes options for three additional 10-year extensions. It sets base rent at $5,500 per month, with 3% annual increases, and includes a 15-month rent abatement. The agreement also provides a $300,000 rent credit for restroom improvements and waives up to $50,000 in city fees. In return, the developer must post a $1.3 million completion bond and show proof of financing before pulling permits, according to the City of Huntington Beach.
Site history and public benefits
The new Huntington's will occupy the footprint at 21 Main Street, paired with a remodeled restroom building across the pier at 22 Main Street. City documents note that Let's Go Fishing, the previous tenant, had been operating on a month-to-month lease and formally shut down at the end of April 2023. Those same documents list planned public benefits that include upgraded restrooms and fishing-line recycling receptacles, per the City of Huntington Beach.
What to expect
If the schedule holds, construction crews will be working through spring with the goal of opening in time for the summer surf season. Supporters argue the project will finally bring life back to a long-vacant on-pier space, deliver upgraded public restrooms and create roughly 20 to 25 jobs. Skeptical council members countered that the long lease term and credits could lock the city into a multi-decade commitment that will be hard to unwind if things go sideways. The U.S. Open of Surfing, which the developers are eyeing as their big debut backdrop, typically runs from late July into early August, according to the World Surf League.
