SEAL BEACH : Not All Are Pleased by Pier Plans

A slight cold, nagging arthritis and stormy weather couldn’t prevent Floyd Henderson from making his weekly morning trek from Garden Grove to the tip of the Seal Beach Pier, where he looks out at the vast blue ocean and “thinks a lot about life.”

But the routine that the 70-year-old Henderson has followed since retiring six years ago could forever change with a proposed development on the landmark structure.

Ruby’s, which already operates a restaurant at the end of the pier, seeks to build a patio dining area nearby. The project would remove about 900 square feet of pier space from public use.

“I feel like this is the people’s place. It shouldn’t be taken away,” Henderson said. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

Henderson is not alone. Concerns about the project have been mounting ever since the Planning Commission first took up the issue last month.

State officials have also raised questions about the project, prompting city officials to delay a vote on the application until they meet with representatives of the State Wildlife Conservation Board.

The proposed expansion would mark the largest development on the pier since the structure was rebuilt after being decimated by the storms of 1983.

The pier, the centerpiece of Seal Beach’s Old Town shopping district, holds a special place in many residents’ hearts. The public donated thousands of dollars toward the pier’s reconstruction in the 1980s, and previous attempts to build additional buildings on the wooden structure have been vigorously opposed.

While some residents said they would welcome a patio dining area elsewhere on the pier, they argued that the proposed site at the tip facing the ocean is a special place that should be left open for public access.

“I think it is very important for people to be able to walk around that area and fish there,” council member Frank Laszlo said. “I think it should remain a public area for people to visit.”

Officials from the Ruby’s restaurant chain said their patio proposal will leave ample area at the end of the pier for people to fish and stroll. Doug Cavanaugh, president of Ruby’s, said the patio would be built in an area seldom used by the public.

Ruby’s has operated on the pier since 1987 and is a popular gathering spot for both locals and tourists. Cavanaugh said the patio would be similar to the one at Ruby’s Balboa Pier location.

But concerns about limiting public access on the pier persist. Laszlo said he has received several calls from residents that show concern over the proposal.

Because Ruby’s would rent the patio from the city, the proposal requires City Council approval. The issue is expected to come before the Planning Commission later this month.