Walk to the end of Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, San Diego, and you'll hit a chain-link fence. Behind it, the OB Pier stretches out over the Pacific with missing planks, weakened pylons, and warning signs reminding you to stay off. It's been closed since October 2023, when storm damage made it unsafe. It won't reopen.
Instead, the City of San Diego is planning a full replacement. The estimated cost sits between $170 million and $190 million. As of spring 2026, the project is in the environmental review and permitting phase, with the draft Environmental Impact Report expected for public review sometime this year, according to city officials.
What the New Pier Will Look Like
The city finalized its preferred design concept in October 2024 after five community workshops spanning 18 months. The new pier will occupy roughly the same footprint as the current one but sit at a higher deck elevation to account for sea-level rise and reduce wave damage. The design, called "the braid," uses multiple pathways along the 2,000-foot structure with improved ADA access.
Planned features include an elevated walkway, a cafe and gift shop, a full restaurant, restrooms, and an open plaza with seating at the end called the "Infinity Plaza." Two fishing terraces with fish-cleaning stations face the city and the ocean. And there's a "surfers lounge" with shaded, terraced seating designed for watching the lineup at the pier break.
The Timeline and the Money
Here's the honest picture. The city has $8.4 million in state funding earmarked for the project. The rest of the $170-190 million hasn't been secured. The city is pursuing state and federal grants, public-private partnerships, and federal legislation called the American Pier Revitalization Act. But San Diego is also staring down a $146 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026-27, with proposed cuts to libraries, recreation centers, and arts funding.
A realistic timeline: environmental permitting and bridging documents completed by early 2028. Construction could start in early 2029. That means OB could be without its pier for at least three more years, possibly longer if funding stalls.
What the Closure Means for the Neighborhood
The OB Pier wasn't just a fishing platform. It was the geographic and emotional center of the neighborhood. The businesses closest to it, spots like South Beach Bar & Grille, Wonderland Ocean Pub, and Hodad's, still draw crowds. But the foot traffic that used to flow from the pier up Newport Avenue has shifted. OB Surf Lodge and Ocean Beach Brewery, with its rooftop pier views, keep pulling people toward the south end. The Wednesday Ocean Beach Farmers Market on the 4900 block of Newport still brings thousands every week.
But longtime residents feel the absence. "It gives people who can't get out on the ocean an experience of connecting to the water and the natural environment," one former pier task force member told the Times of San Diego. "It's one of the crown jewels of the city and county."
For now, the pier stands behind its fence, slowly rusting. The city says it doesn't pose an immediate safety threat to passersby, but the clock is ticking. OB wants its pier back. The question is whether the money shows up before the structure deteriorates beyond salvage.
For updates, visit the city's project page at OBPierRenewal.com or follow Ocean Beach civic news on San Diego Lineup.
