Pacifica Pier faces possible demolition after concrete structure cracks

The Pacifica Pier has served as a landmark for the community for two generations, but now it looks like its end may be coming quickly. Demolition crews were busy on Tuesday tearing down the cafe at its base, and there are serious questions about whether the pier itself can be saved.

The end of the Chit Chat Cafe happened quickly, as crews tore apart the beloved gathering spot at the base of the Pacifica Pier. To those who were there to see it, it felt like a death in the family.

"I saw even a bouquet of flowers against the fence," said Marion Broeker. "It's like a funeral. And if you can look around, the people's faces, they're just crestfallen."

Last Thursday, the city abruptly closed the pier and cafe when an inch-wide crack developed in the concrete structure. By Saturday, it had grown to a foot. And on Tuesday, the gap was even wider, and the entire surface was beginning to droop toward the ocean.  

It certainly meant the end of the café, but what does it mean for the pier itself? Bob McKibbon was staying positive as he watched the Chit Chat come down.

"What we're hoping will happen is they take the building down and maybe that small section of the pier and just extend another walkway out there. And then reopen the pier. That would be ideal. So, hopefully they'll do that. It all depends on money."

Built in 1973, the pier has been a favorite spot for people who didn't need a license to fish over its sides. And crowds would arrive to watch for whales in summer or brave the crashing spray of the huge waves in winter. Savannah Peterson lives across the street from the pier and has been watching that show for years from her front yard.

"I mean, we're talking 30, 40 feet. Huge walls of water. And somehow, she sustained and maintained as this community Icon and a place of nourishment for families and generations of folks fishing on the pier," she said. "So, I think I knew this was inevitable.  I have to say, I did not expect it to happen on a calm summer day."

Most, like Peterson, are not very optimistic that the pier can be saved. Robby Bancroft is so well known in town that some call him "Mr. Pacifica."

"I'm a relatively optimistic and hopeful guy, but I'm realistic in the fact that it costs money to run a city, just like a business," he said. "Pacifica can't even afford to run itself as a city.  It can't do the pier on its own."

But Mike Avila is confident it can be saved. The Pacifica native owns Mike Roberts Construction, the company demolishing the cafe, and he said as bad as the pier's base may look, it is not without hope.

"I think everything is fixable," said Avila. "Everything can be fixed. To save this, some really smart people need to get into a room and say, 'We're going to save it.' And then just start throwing out ideas of how to save it. Again, that gets back to political issues.  If they had the money to fix it, we could fix that."

But that may be the true death knell for the old structure. Pacifica is already facing a budget deficit and doesn't have the funds it may take to try to save the pier. So, even for an optimist like Mr. Pacifica, it feels like the end. Although, he is surprised how quickly it happened.

"It was just a random night, it wasn't even like a big storm," he said. "We saw cement falling. And within a week, like, we're saying goodbye to the pier."

On Tuesday, the city said it is still weighing its options and has made no decisions about the fate of the pier. But on Monday night, as it voted to approve the demolition of the cafe, it also extended an ongoing emergency declaration for problems on the waterfront that date back to 2016.