City officials presented three preliminary design concepts for a new pier during a third community workshop on Sept. 9 on the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project.

Engineering and architectural consultants provided a summary of the public input received thus far on the project to potentially replace the 57-year-old OB Pier. The preliminary design concepts feature ideas for specific amenities as previously prioritized by community members. Those include how the pier meets the land, on-pier viewing areas, and public gathering spaces.

“These concepts have been developed focused on creating a welcoming atmosphere, introducing a variety of place-making strategies, enhancing retail and dining opportunities, and improving fishing and surfing which are hallmarks of the existing Ocean Beach Pier,” the City said in its PowerPoint presentation. “The concepts have been developed to uniquely respect and honor the pier’s history while striving to meet the community’s present and future needs while maintaining and enhancing the pier as a local icon.”

Noting all three preliminary design options include improved ADA accessibility with an emphasis on equitable access to the ocean, the City’s PowerPoint added the goal is to “allow for the integration of sustainable and educational features that will further enhance the pier experience. While each design concept was developed as a standalone idea, each contains a variety of placemaking strategies. The idea behind this is to allow the community to look at each place-making strategy on its own, and determine which areas and features of each concept they like, to then be combined into a single preferred alternative.”

The full workshop presentation and survey are posted at OBPierRenewal.com. San Diegans are encouraged to visit the site, read the complete presentation, and fill out the survey before Oct. 9. The survey results will help shape the preferred design concept.

“This was the final workshop of 2023, but not of the process,” said Tyler Becker, City spokesperson. “We will host another workshop early next year to share the preferred design concept with the public.”

The Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project aims to provide a long-term solution for the pier through a potential replacement. A 2018 study determined that the pier has reached the end of its service life. Consequently, the City is pursuing a potential replacement of the pier as the best option considering the ongoing costs of repairs, the need to modernize the existing facility, and the anticipation of future sea-level rise.

The project is currently in the preliminary engineering and planning phase and still needs to go through other phases, including California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act permitting, other regional agency permitting, design and construction.

After the preferred design concept is completed, a detailed project schedule and cost estimate will be prepared. Currently, $8.4 million in state funding is designated for the project. The City will pursue other state and federal grants.

DESIGN CONCEPTS

Concept 1 – The Squint Test concept utilizes the current pier’s layout and design but proposes to widen the pier, add a fishing deck around a reconstructed café building, and introduce an additional deck south of a new building with upgraded restrooms, and potential retail space and/or a community room. It is referred to as The Squint Test because this concept explores placemaking and activation strategies that have been thoughtfully located to minimize their visibility and retain the historic and iconic silhouette of the pier as seen from land.

Concept 2 – The Remora is inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the Remora fish and the sharks that they attach themselves to. It highlights the original layout and design of the pier and adds a series of features that celebrate the unique ocean experiences and activities at the heart of the Ocean Beach community. New features include a shaded surfer’s lounge area, an enhanced junior lifeguard jump platform, an expanded deck at the reconstructed historic café for outdoor dining, integrated fishing amenities, and an expanded plaza with a small retail pavilion.

Concept 3 – The Braid concept builds upon the long, linear experience of the pier, reworking it into a series of separate but interconnected pathways that provide visitors with a unique and distinct ocean experience compared to other piers across southern California. Along with the normal walking path, this concept includes viewing experiences both above and below the pier’s elevation. Other features include potential retail, dining, and community spaces, lowered fishing areas, enhanced restrooms, and a curvilinear layout to the arms on the west end, which increases the pier’s length.