Avila’s Back Open for Business, But What It Will Look Like, and Who Will Sell What on Front Street, Is Still Up in the Air

BY HEATHER HERSHMAN

This is the summer when beloved Avila Beach returns...sort of.

With Unocal's contamination cleanup project over and the beach returned to its seminatural state, this is the summer for beach lovers to return to the warmest, grooviest, and most social stretch of coastline in the county.

But step off the sand and you'll enter a construction zone. Only a fraction of the businesses that once lined Front Street will return this season, and the extensive public amenities slated for Avila will be a work in progress all summer.

"When you’re on the beach, the construction that’s going on is behind you, so you can’t even hear it," said Bill Price, owner of Beachcomber Bills and Sea Barn, which will be among the first businesses rebuilt in Avila Beach.

"We were the last to leave and we will be the first back," said Price, who still conducts his Beachcomber Bills business on the beach, renting Boogie boards, wetsuits, beach chairs, and umbrellas.

Yet the hectic pace of efforts to restore Avila Beach in time to take advantage of this summer's tourist season has complicated Price's ambitious hopes of spending a long summer as one of Avila's sole businesses.

Price is the only business owner to have had the preliminary permits for his building approved. Crews began working on the retaining wall for the building in March, but stopped because all the other construction in the area made things hectic.

"We just said it’s too crazy–it would just be frustrating for them and frustrating for us," Price said. "We’re going to wait until they’re finished, and then we’re going to fire up again."

Among the public improvements now under construction are a pedestrian plaza, a stepped seating area, and an observation deck. The pier is also being rebuilt, complete with new restrooms and a lifeguard station. It’s anticipated that these improvements will be completed by August.

"The future of Avila Beach looks extraordinarily positive," said Front Street Enhancement Committee chair Archie McLaren. "It’s really going to be quite special."

The pedestrian plaza will be the focal point of the Front Street Enhancement Project, meant to enhance Avila's laid-back charm. The area will be landscaped with flagstones and, in the center of the plaza, a fountain.

A stepped seating area between the plaza and the beach will provide ample space for people to sit and watch the waves. Visitors will also be able to admire the sunset from a 19-foot-high observation deck that’s to be built on the eastern side of town. The deck will give visitors an expansive view of the ocean.

"It’s rather obvious that once [these improvements] are in, the Front Street area is going to be very alluring," McLaren said. "It will tie everything together in a beautiful way."

Perhaps the most dramatic change will be a community park where the beach starts west of Front Street. The park will include picnic tables, a basketball court, a playground, and restrooms. It is scheduled to be completed by November.

"It’s going to be the nicest beach in California when they’re done," Price said.

Other Front Street businesses that were demolished and that are now returning include the Old Custom House, Mr. Rick’s Beach Bar, and Cafe Avila.

These businesses will share one new building. Its design remains in the planning process. Current plans call for Old Custom House to be on the second floor, with a wraparound deck; Mr. Rick's and Cafe Avila will occupy the ground floor.

"In a perfect world, we’d like to start construction Sept. 1," said Chris Chandless, general manager of the Old Custom House.

Although only four commercial businesses have been approved for return to Front Street, county planner James Caruso said he expects approximately nine businesses to be open by this time next year.

"It’s not going to be a boom overnight deal," Chandless said. "What we need to do is look toward the future and get Avila back on its feet."

San Luis Grocery will be among the first businesses to return, although it’s not clear whether it will still be a grocery store. The building will be moved back to its old Front Street location. According to James Caruso, the foundation has already been poured, and the structure will be in place by mid-June.

Sea Barn will likely be next. Price hopes to be open for business next spring.

"We’re fortunate, because we started our project two years ago," Price said. "We started before they ever did demolition." His two buildings were among the 23 destroyed. Price continues to sell swimsuits and beachwear at a new Sea Barn location in the Wal-Mart shopping center in Arroyo Grande.

Plans for both the new Sea Barn in Avila Beach and the new Custom House building call for residential apartments as part of the commercial building.

According to Caruso, this may start a trend for commercial properties in the area. "The people in Avila are hoping that it becomes more residential."

Caruso said that adding residences is a good idea, and pointed out that more residents means more business during the off-season–and better security. "It’s always good to have people live in a commercial area 24 hours a day, so it’s not a ghost town" after hours, he said.

Once the Front Street Enhancement project is completed and commercial construction begins, the town will begin to come together. It may be a of couple years, however, before there are enough businesses to fill the void left by Unocal’s destructive forces.

"Unocal owns a lot of the properties, and they are actively marketing them," Caruso said.

Unocal has indicated that it is not interested in developing commercial land, and the company is reportedly looking to sell its properties. Unocal owns about 25 lots in Avila Beach, and wants to combine several of those lots and sell them as packages. Company spokesmen were unavailable for comment at presstime. Æ

Heather Hershman is a New Times intern.