The 40-day Hermosa Beach Municipal Pier closure became official Monday, but it was business as usual for surrounding restaurants and bars just feet away from the pedestrian-friendly stretch.
The pier -- which is visited by millions of people every year -- is undergoing some long-needed repairs in order accommodate the Memorial Day crowds.
“We don’t really foresee it affecting our business at all, because it doesn’t draw too many people here,” said Angela Wells of Patrick Molloy’s, a restaurant and bar one block off the pier’s entry. “The closure is more of just an inconvenience.”
Unlike the Santa Monica Pier or Redondo Beach Pier, no businesses operate on Hermosa Beach Pier, which was reason enough for retailers and eateries to be free of concern.
“Since there are no businesses on the pier, there’s no reason to go out to the pier unless you are fishing or just walking out,” said Bill Huseman from the Poop Deck, a small bar known for its beachfront view just yards away from the pier.
“People come down here for restaurants and bars and music, and the pier is more of an option,” Huseman said. “We are not worried about it, and it’s not going to bother us.”
Although the pier is not home to any retailers, the city’s 1200-foot stretch over the ocean is popular enough to have its own Facebook page with more than 11,500 likes.
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"We have no reason to believe local businesses will be impacted by the temporary pier closure," city spokesperson Alison Gallagher said.
Built in 1914, the pier’s renovation includes cement repairs on the deck’s walkway and some of the panels that support the structure.
The California Coastal Commission issued a work permit in February that requires the work to be finished before Memorial Day weekend.
“The Hermosa Beach Municipal Pier is one of the city’s most valued assets, and we want to ensure it is maintained so we can all enjoy it for many years to come,” Hermosa Beach Mayor Patrick “Kit” Bobko said in a news release.
The slew of repairs is expected to cost about $190,000, which will be paid out of the city’s maintenance fund, the city announced last month.
City officials expect the pier to reopen by May 17.
