Ventura Council to Seek Plans for Developing Pier

Moving one step closer to saving the Ventura Pier from likely demolition, the Ventura City Council this week agreed to solicit proposals for 15,000 square feet of commercial development at the base of the battered landmark.

A restaurant, fish market and several shops could generate the estimated $115,000 needed yearly to maintain the structure, according to a long-awaited report reviewed Monday by the council.

But council members balked at the price tag for restoring the 116-year-old relic, which would require extensive repairs before any of the commercial space could be developed.

Estimates for renovating the pier and surrounding area are $3.5 million, about $1 million more than the city has been able to amass through grants and loans.

The council voted unanimously to conduct a detailed engineering study, which might cost as much as $50,000, to determine the full extent of damage and pinpoint the price of those repairs.

“Before we jump off a limb and throw our money down a rathole,” the city needs to know exactly what the renovations entail, Councilman John McWherter said.

If the city does not make those repairs, however, the pier probably will be demolished. The state Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the decaying 1,658-foot structure, has said that it has grown too costly to maintain and presents too great a liability in its present condition.

Although a large segment of the pier was reopened to strollers and fishermen last month--2 1/2 years after a winter storm battered the structure--the $150,000 spent by the state on repairs was no more than “Band-Aid work,” said Steve Treanor, state park district superintendent.

In an effort to find a long-term solution, city officials suggested in February, 1987, that commercial development could make the pier self-supporting. While objections have been registered against any development over the water, none have been lodged against some commercialization at the pier’s base, said Barbara Harison, city Parks and Recreation director.

After more than a year of study, the California Coastal Conservancy concluded in its report to the council this week that a minimum of 15,000 square feet, of which 10,000 would be restaurant space and 5,000 retail, is necessary to make the pier self-sufficient.

Money for Maintenance

About twice as much commercial space exists at Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf and about four times as much surrounds the Santa Monica Pier. The Ventura Pier already is home to a seafood restaurant, snack bar and bait shop.

The new development would generate about $65,000 a year for basic maintenance and operational costs. An additional $50,000 would be set aside in a reserve fund to pay for emergency repairs, said the conservancy, which works to provide visitor facilities along the state’s coastline.

The hockey stick-shaped structure, built in 1872 as a private commercial wharf, has weathered storms, fires and runaway ships over the years. But some community leaders, frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations, warned the council that inaction now could be the landmark’s death knell.

“We need guidance and leadership from you,” Tom Buford, president of the Greater Ventura Chamber of Commerce, told the council. “Do you want to be the City Council that oversees the destruction of the pier?”