Santa Cruz Wharf moves forward with rebuild plan

Santa Cruz, Calif (KION-TV) -- A damaged section of the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf could soon be coming back.

On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council approved a plan to begin rebuilding part of the wharf that collapsed during the devastating winter storms of December 2024.

The plan, one of five proposed options which aims to strike a balance between cost, public benefit, and long-term flexibility.

Out of all the proposed designs, the city went with alternative five which what it says is the most efficient and community friendly solution.

“Alternative Five actually looks to be as most efficient as possible," David McCormick, City Development Manager said. "By building out to where it ends now, we’re basically going to square it off. That’ll provide the maximum amount of public access in the near term. And it preserves one of the key sea lion viewing holes that people love so much."

Before the collapse, visitors went to the wharf to catch a glimpse at the sea lions hole. That experience, locals say, is something they truly miss.

“I miss seeing how many sea lions were out here and hearing them all. We missed the last few hundred feet of the wharf,” Sonie Sandeberg a Santa Cruz resident said.

The collapse happened in December, tearing off around 180 feet of the southern end of the wharf, including the Dolphin Restaurant and a restroom building. The area was already under repair.

Since then, the city has been working on how best to rebuild.

“How do we build it back in a way that allows us the most flexibility going forward, while providing the structural strength and public access that we want right away?” McCormick said.

City leaders weighed five design options, some proposed expanding public access and others focused on trimming back the damaged structure for strength.

“Some of them looked at expansions to try and provide more public access in the near term," McCormick said. Other ones looked at cutting back some of the broken infrastructure to just kind of get it back to its strongest point."

With Alternative 5 approved, the project now heads into the design and permitting phase.

“Our hope is that we’re at a position to break ground on this in early fall. It could be closer to winter, which wouldn’t be ideal, but the goal is to get in the ground and building by early to mid fall,” McCormick said.

Funding for the project will come from a mix of sources, including state disaster relief, insurance, and grant support from Cal OES.

The estimated cost for the rebuild is around $1 million, including construction and engineering support.

“I would say something that just kind of shows the natural beauty of the ocean and the wharf itself,” Sandeberg said.

And with rising seas and more frequent extreme weather, some worry about what lies ahead.

“It can look a little bit different in the future, because ocean waves are getting bigger, storms are getting larger. And if we’re not careful, the wharf is going to have serious new damages in the future,” Fred Muyer, a Santa Cruz resident said.

City officials say the goal is to complete this phase of the wharf rebuild by early 2026.