Tax Deductible
Donations are tax deductible and donors of $1,000 or more will be recognized with a plaque on the refurbished pier!
Avila Pier Renovation is underway!
Restoration of the Pier is a multi-year project, divided into three stages:
Stage 1
Initial Repairs to Reopen the Pier
- This stage is has been underway since the summer of 2022. In Stage 1 more than 50 pilings are being repaired or replaced; all decking out to (but not including) the Pier Terminus (the wider area at the seaward end) is being replaced and made ADA-accessible; new light posts and hand railing are being installed and utilities are being moved to the outside of the railing.
- A portion–$245,000–of the donations received by Friends of Avila Pier from 2019 through 2022 were used to facilitate the start of Stage 1 repairs.
- Primarily due to additional storm damage during the winters of 2022-23 and 2023-24, Stage 1 repairs have taken longer and have become somewhat more costly than originally estimated. In order to help keep the project moving Friends of Avila Pier provided an additional $100,000 to the Port San Luis Harbor District in June 2024. At this point, the Harbor District is targeting completion of Stage 1 repairs by the end of 2025. As of April 2025 the Pier has been reopened about halfway–to Bent 50. However, during construction in the summer and fall of 2025 the Pier will be closed from time to time.
Stage 2
Repairs to the Boat Landing and Restrooms
- The Harbor District applied for and has received a $200,000 grant from the California Division of Boating and Waterways to rehabilitate the boat landing toward the end of the Pier. That grant is contingent upon a 1/3 match from the local community. Friends of Avila Pier has pledged to provide those matching funds ($66,667) when needed by the Harbor District–likely in 2026.
- Replacement of the restrooms is currently unfunded.
Stage 3
Repairs and Improvements to the Terminus (including the Bait Shop)
- This portion of the project is currently unfunded.
We are more than halfway to our goal of raising $1 million from the community for “The People’s Pier!”
Can you help us raise additional funds for Stages 2 and 3?
New stylish light posts
New stylish light posts–installed during the summer of 2024–were paid for with donations to Friends of Avila Pier! Also paid with funds from Friends of Avila Pier are relocated utility lines, providing more usable space on the pier decking (below)
Previously, the utilities were inside the railing on the east side of the pier.
Utilities are now outside the railing (west side of the pier).
Click this photo to watch the progress on Live Avila Beach Webcam!
