Coastal Panel OKs Dining Outside on Pier Avenue

Let the outdoor dining begin. The California Coastal Commission late Wednesday unanimously approved a request by Hermosa Beach to allow al fresco dining on recently renovated lower Pier Avenue.

Brewski’s already has tables, chairs and planters outside. Hennessey’s Tavern has applied for an encroachment permit that would allow it to put tables and chairs outdoors, said Sol Blumenfeld, Hermosa Beach’s community development director.

This week the City Council unanimously agreed to ban parking from the lower Pier Avenue area, making it a pedestrian walkway.

Spiffing up Pier Avenue in the area closest to the ocean is just one phase of the city’s revitalization project to improve its aging downtown. In late October, a $4.5-million project to renovate the Hermosa Beach Pier begins.