The Morro Bay City Council has approved plans to demolish the old Libertine Brewing Co. building along the Embarcadero in Morro Bay. A new building will be constructed in its place.
“It’s run its life course. The applicant has been working on the permits for the last two years, working his way through the Planning Commission, and then came to City Council because of the requirements for exceptions on the waterfront,” explained Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom.
Wixom says the goal is to start tearing down the building and beginning the reconstruction within the next six months to a year.
The new building will be a two-story building, approximately 5,000 square feet with seven hotel units on the second floor, outdoor dining, and a coffee shop and restaurant on the first floor.
“There will be a viewing deck that the public will have access to. The harbor walk will be extended to 20 feet to line up with the project next door to it and that will provide public access along the waterfront,” Wixom said.
Currently, you can't access the harbor walk via the west side of the building, but the project will add a 15-foot-wide section of the walkway.
“Which would be amazing coastal access for the community and visitors,” said Cindy Jacinth, Morro Bay Planning Manager.
There are also plans to convert the public parking next to the building into a public plaza, but this part of the project is on hold for now.
“To put in a temporary plaza and then step back if that vision were to change if we do the Waterfront Master Plan seems like it would be counterproductive for the applicant and the city,” Wixom said.
The owners of the Libertine are in the process of requesting approval from the Coastal Commission and are also in the lease negotiation stages.
Co-owner Eric Newton hopes construction will start toward the end of this summer.
Libertine also has a location in San Luis Obispo you can check out while this one is being redone.
