A vacant building, located at 401 Shell Beach Road, may soon be demolished and replaced by a mixed-use development.
Community members KSBY News spoke with are ready to see changes.
“It's time to go out with the old and come in with the new,” said Mary Gabriel, Shell Beach resident.
“I think Shell Beach has the potential to be a great little street,” said Edward Felix, Shell Beach resident.
This vacant building was previously Del’s Pizzeria before the owners moved the restaurant to Price Street in 2018.
Back in 2021, Pacific Coastal Properties applied to turn the location into a residential and commercial building.
According to the city, a two-year extension of the project was approved by the Planning Commission in 2023, which allowed the applicant to reanalyze the feasibility of the project and consider options to create an economically viable project, as the cost of construction rose.
Some Shell Beach residents told me the development would benefit the community.
“I think it's great that, finally, we may get something built there,” said Felix. “We remodeled the street, which is fantastic, but unfortunately, there are a lot of empty stores that need to be rebuilt. I think it could be a great improvement to the neighborhood.”
“I think that this town needs a change,” said Gabriel. “It needs an upgrade. And everything that they've done here so far has been fantastic.”
The mixed-use development would include a restaurant space, a retail space, and four residential condo units.
But one community member KSBY caught up with says more residential spaces are not needed.
“If it's things where local shops can be put in. I don't know if Shell Beach needs another coffee shop,” said Zoe Glick, a Grover Beach resident. “But something for like locals to come and spend time and like you know, help the city of Pismo Beach's economy. Sure. But in terms of, I don't know if there are apartments going in. I don't know if I find that entirely necessary.”
KSBY News reached out to the applicant of the project for comment on the development, but has yet to receive a response.
The project will go before the Pismo Beach Planning Commission meeting on May 13, 2025.
