The end may be near for OB Pier, but how to rectify its 56-year-old deteriorating structure could be further delayed as a lawsuit seeks to block the replacement of the pier, alleging it is being done without proper environmental review.

“This case concerns the City’s attempt to sidestep the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in approving an $8 million project involving horizontal drilling and boring, sand excavation, and other changes to the environment around the Ocean Beach Pier, disguised as merely a ‘study’ to facilitate rebuilding the pier,” states the lawsuit filed Nov. 15 in San Diego Superior Court by attorney Bryan Pease on behalf of the nonprofit Animal Protection and Rescue League, Inc.

“The City has done everything possible to obfuscate its intentions, avoid public input, and evade judicial review to fast track this harmful and environmentally destructive project,” states the lawsuit. “Defendants did not consider any of the environmental effects of these proposed activities, including greenhouse gas emissions, or fumes and noise from all the drilling and auger boring from the parking lot and street.”

The Pease lawsuit asks “for a preliminary and permanent injunction (court order) restraining any action taken to carry out the (pier replacement) project until CEQA has been complied with.”

Reacting to the lawsuit, Kevin Hastings, vice chair of Ocean Beach Planning Board speaking on his own behalf said: “I think it’s safe to say Mr. Pease speaks for himself here. This case has nothing to with concerns over fumes or impacts of studying the stability of the sea floor, and everything to do with Mr. Pease’s opposition to recreational fishing and eating fish, and thereby the fishing pier that enables it.”

Last year, a structural report on OB Pier done by consulting firm Moffatt & Nichol concluded that: “The Ocean Beach Fishing Pier has reached the end of its service life. The pier was inspected above and below water and concrete cores were taken for analysis. Corrosion in the reinforcing steel has initiated and the structure will continue to degrade unless corrective action is taken.”

The consulting firm’s report offered three options for addressing the pier’s deficiencies: repair of the structure, rehabilitation, and replacement.

“While the initial cost of the repair option is less, the repairs will not address the continuing deterioration of the pier and the cost to keep the pier operational going forward will be significant,” determined the pier report. “Rehabilitation will increase the service life of the structure, but the cost is comparable to the replacement option. Replacement of the structure will allow the City to design the pier for current seismic codes and address sea level rise to ensure the pier will be available for generations to come.”

“The City is moving forward with a Capital Improvement Project to replace the Ocean Beach Pier,” said James Nagelvoort, director for the Strategic Capital Projects Department, back in August. “Unfortunately, after 56 years of exposure to a harsh marine environment, the pier has reached the end of its useful life. As part of the effort to replace the pier, an Ocean Beach Pier Replacement Task Force has been organized to advise the City on the preferred project scope and program for a new Ocean Beach Pier.”

The OB Pier Replacement Task Force is a group of volunteer community members nominated by Ocean Beach advisory groups and appointed by the City. The task force is supported by consultants and other City departments.

“The task force’s efforts will help move this project forward,” said Nagelvoort. “Once the initial preferred project scope is developed, it will be used to initiate project design, both the CEQA and NEPA processes, grant applications for additional project funding, environmental permits, and additional community outreach. It is important to express that, throughout the project design and environmental permitting phases, additional public outreach will be conducted.”

OB PIER

– At 1,971 feet, OB Pier is the second-longest pier on the West Coast and the longest concrete pier in the world.

– The Ocean Beach Municipal Pier was officially christened and introduced to San Diegans on July 2, 1966. California Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown cut the ribbon.

– The pier owes its asymmetrical design to Obecians, who liked the project so much they raised an additional $100,000 while it was still under construction, extending the south bank by 167 feet.

– Although the pier quickly became a popular destination for locals and tourists, its original purpose was for fishing. Ocean Beach fishermen needed a way to prevent their fishing lines and lures from getting tangled in kelp near the shores. Since the construction of the pier, anglers are able to fish in 25-30 feet of water, avoiding most of the shoreline kelp and enabling them to catch species of fish that live in deeper waters.

– The pier has more than 500,000 visitors per year.

– Currently, no fishing license is required on the pier.

Photo by Jim Grant