SEAL BEACH : Building of Pier Area Safety Office Delayed

The construction of a community safety office near the city pier, intended to boost police presence during the summer, will be delayed until fall because of changes in building plans.

But Police Capt. Gary Maiten said an officer will soon be assigned to full-time foot patrol in the downtown beach area for the duration of summer.

“Each summer, that will be automatic from now on,” Maiten said.

Downtown residents, who say graffiti and vandalism is on the rise in their neighborhoods, have long pushed for a police substation near the pier. Police headquarters is in a remote section of the city, on Seal Beach Boulevard across from the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

After council members said the city could not afford to build a substation, residents volunteered time and materials to build a community safety office, to be staffed with volunteers and police reserve officers.

The building plan changes will reduce the amount of ocean view blocked by the structure. But the city must now file an additional environmental impact report on the modified project, which must be approved by the California Coastal Commission.