Seal Beach Pier Re-opens

On May 24, 2019 at 5 p.m. PST the Seal Beach Pier officially opened to the public, minus the iconic restaurant that once provided a place to eat and public restrooms. You can still walk to the end of Orange County's northernmost pier and enjoy bay views of the Long Beach-Los Angeles harbors and their backdrop hills of Palos Verdes. To the west visitors can see Catalina Island a mere 22-26 miles distance and to the south Huntington Beach Pier can be seen on clear days.

Pier renovation

Closed since 2013 along with a shuttered Ruby's restaurant,) caught fire. Seal Beach city council members had promised to find ways to fix the end of the pier and open it to the public once again–before the fire. Many potential restaurant owners checked out the prospectus learning that they'd be saddled with a $4 million bill to replace infrastructure before a restaurant could ever open. There were no takers. Owned by the State of California and maintained by the City of Seal Beach, the wooden pier affords spectacular views of sunrises over the Saddleback mountains and sunsets over the Pacific Ocean and hills of Palos Verdes peninsula.

Timeline

2012
Ruby's 10 year lease ends in October. The City of Seal Beach extends a month to month lease in November.

2013
Ruby's ends lease and closes restaurant on pier permanently on January 6.

2014
Beginning in January the City of Seal Beach entertains offers and negotiates for possible restaurants to lease restaurant space.
In August Hurricane Marie off Mexico's coast causes damage from high waves.

2015
City of Seal Beach Council discusses pier seeking a plan for renovation.

2016
Fire engulfs pier bait shop and former Ruby's restaurant. Electrical source determined to be the cause.

2017
From August to October approvals and plans made for repairing Seal Beach Pier.

2018
In June City Council approves a contract with John S. Meek Company to repair the pier and make the structure strong enough to build another restaurant at a future date. Work begins in September.

2019
Seal Beach Pier reopens to the public on May 24.

The city insures the pier with the Joint Powers Insurance Authority. California's public piers are beloved icons and symbols of freedom. 

 Construction on the pier began in September of 2018 after receiving all of the necessary permits from a variety of public agencies, including the California Coastal Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers. The work involved not only repairing the damage from the pier fire that occurred in 2016, but also completing needed improvements to the pier’s utilities, lighting, and infrastructure.

The pier is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday. For more information about the pier, visit www.sealbeachpier.org or by visit www.sealbeachca.org.