UPDATE (10:51 p.m.) -- THE Pismo Beach City Council decided to accept a bid from a contractor to complete the Pismo Plaza Project.
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One year after renovations wrapped up on the Pismo Pier, the City of Pismo Beach now has its sights set on updating the plaza around it.
In just a few weeks, during the city's annual Clam Festival, officials will be breaking ground on this more than $6 million Pier Plaza project that includes new bathrooms, a children's play area and even a slide to take you from the plaza to the sand.
It's a project the city says has been years in the making.
"It's really been a culmination of community effort and input, working with the hotel industry and the community to make an outdoor living space right outside our brand new pier," explained Jorge Garcia, Management Services Director for the City of Pismo Beach.
The city says this new space will transform the area around the pier while still paying homage to vintage Pismo Beach with the city's name spelled out in seven foot tall letters in the "Classic California" branding.
"We're gonna have a new restroom facility, a new outdoor playground, slides going down from the plaza onto the beach and we're going to create an outdoor living space where we can hold concerts and special events," Garcia said.
The project would remove six parking spaces in order to make room for these developments.
This new plaza comes amid a wave of updates to the area around the Pismo Beach Pier.
Jessica Zerolis' business, Masterpiece Hair Studio, is among the shops at the Inn at the Pier, opening up just seven weeks ago.
"(The shops are) just adding a little extra dynamic to Pismo Beach, which a lot of the new attractions are going to do, too, even for the locals I think," Zerolis said.
She says so far, business has been good, with foot traffic helping attract people into the salon.
For businesses that have been around for a while, like Pismo Yogurt, manager Matthew Morgan says extra attractions can help them garner more business during the slower months.
"There's always nice attractions around here and to add another one is always going to bring some more people and I think that's good for everyone," Morgan said.
On Tuesday, the City Council will decide on accepting a bid for a contractor to complete the project.
The city council agenda for the meeting shows this project putting the city at a more than $4 million budget shortfall but Garcia says the city has the funds to complete the project without having to take out bonds.
The city says the fencing for the start of construction for the project will be put up on October 21. They expect the Pier Plaza to be completed by May of 2020.
