A broken path leading to paradise has some people in Shell Beach wondering if the city of Pismo Beach plans to do anything with a damaged staircase at the shore.
The Pier Avenue stairs have been closed for nearly 3 years and the closure has been keeping people from heading down to the beach.
“Things change, said Jillian Ferini, a visitor from Berkeley. “They haven’t done any work to this stairwell in a while, so it’s very overdue.”
“People talk about it all the time,” said Max Bakker, a Shell Beach resident.
“Especially around here in this neighborhood,” said Emma Bond, a Shell Beach resident. “They’re really sad that it’s been so closed for so long.”
After the stairs were damaged in late 2021, the entrance was boarded up and the stairs closed to the public.
“When they closed it down we were just like super bummed because like that was our favorite spot to go,” said Bond.
“I wish it would be open,” said Bakker. “It’s really nice down there too.”
Ferini has been visiting her grandparents in Shell Beach for years and says that even though the stairway is closed, some people are still taking chances.
“People will come over here and they’ll see the stairs and they’re looking over and they kind of try to sense it out if they could kind of still go down there,” said Ferini. “Sometimes you do see people make the trip down.”
Assistant City Manager Mike James tells me that, in 2022, 4 different solutions were developed and submitted to the city council for discussion.
Each of the options would cost millions and a few included bluff repairs.
The Pier Avenue Stairs alternative recommendations were:
- making minimal repairs to keep the stairs open for $1.5 million.
- replacing the stairs in their current location and minor bluff repairs in the vicinity of the stairs for $2.35 million.
- relocating the stairs to enter from Margo Dodd Park for $4.8 million.
- relocating the staircase entry to the south off Ocean Blvd for $5.2 million.
James said, that at that time, the city council directed staff to remove the stairs, at an estimated cost of $360,000.
With no funding at this time to remove the stairs, James told KSBY News all of the solutions have been put on hold.
“I think it should be rebuilt cause treasures like this people get to connect with the landscape,” said Ferini. “There’s not a price on that. I’ve had the opportunity to bond with the landscape in that way and I think everyone that lives here that’s like a given right that they should be able to enjoy things to the fullest of their opportunity.”
James added that the staircase’s removal, potential reconstruction, and design are expected to be considered in the city’s next two budget cycles and 10-year capital improvement program.
