A two-story mixed-use commercial project set for Morro Bay’s Embarcadero will go before the California Coastal Commission on May 8.
If the proposed project is approved by the commission and granted a coastal development permit, the existing Off the Hook building will be demolished and replaced by Harborwalk Plaza.
Morro Bay Community Development Director Scot Graham told New Times there are a lot of changes happening on the waterfront that are exciting for the city. He said that the city is encouraging development on under-utilized parcels along the waterfront through the city’s economic development and strategic plans.
“[The Off the Hook] building was at the end of its useful life, and it needed to be redeveloped. Having another project that comes in and renews that location and provides visitor-serving amenities makes sense on the waterfront,” Graham said.
According to the commission staff report, the project is slated to have retail and restaurant space, and it’s envisioned as a market hall made up of multiple food vendors on the first floor.
It also includes plans for three public bathrooms, outdoor seating, and a remodeled courtyard with an expanded children’s play area. In addition, the project proposes a series of public access improvements, including new public access walkways along the building’s bay-facing front and along the southern side of the building that connects to the Embarcadero.
An eight-room hotel is planned to occupy the second floor. It’s conditioned to provide 25 percent of its units at a rate equal to the city’s low-cost overnight accommodations. The project’s applicant, TLC Family Enterprise, is proposing six of the rooms would be high-cost, about $197 per-night, one would be a low-cost rate of $145 per night, and one would be offered at or below the low-cost threshold for 240 days per year.
The Morro Bay City Council approved the proposed project at an Oct. 9, 2018, meeting.
This article appears in Best of SLO County 2019.
