The Capitola Wharf has been fixed for two years. The plan for what goes on it is still unsettled. The pier that broke in the January 2023 storms now has new pilings, new decking and new lighting. One business operates on it: Capitola Boat & Bait, a family shop working out of a cluster of temporary sheds. Its lease runs out at the end of this year.
That shop is most of what a walk to the end of the wharf offers this fall. The city's restaurant plan has slipped to 2027 at the earliest. So the shop, plus a couple of ticketed or scheduled events, is what keeps the rebuilt pier in use.
What the Rebuild Delivered
The wharf soft-opened in August 2024, Lookout Santa Cruz reported. The city's official grand reopening followed on September 25, 2024, according to KION. KCRA put the reconstruction cost at $8 million.
According to the Capitola Village wharf page, the money paid for a wider pier and several new public amenities:
- New decking and railing along the whole length
- Public restrooms near the entrance
- Seating, a picnic table and public art paid for by community contributions
- ADA-compliant viewing stations, plus a viewing station designed for color-blind visitors
- A fish-cleaning station
- An upgraded entry gate and new evening lighting
Every item on that list is public infrastructure. Under the city's Local Coastal Plan, the wharf is a free-access public fishing pier, and the rebuild kept that role intact. The rebuild did not include anywhere to sit down for a meal.
One Shop in a Cluster of Sheds
When the wharf reopened in September 2024, the city gave Capitola Boat & Bait a set of temporary sheds as a storefront, and the shop is still in them, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported in July. Siblings Tina Williams and David Morris run it now. Their mother ran it from 1997 until the 2023 storms.
The shop rents wooden skiffs, kayaks and paddleboards. It sells bait, fishing line, rubber-fish lures and souvenirs. The city wouldn't allow holes in the shed walls, so the family put up freestanding pegboard walls to hang merchandise. Staff also teach customers to fish, and the teenagers who work there learn boat repair. Customers fishing from the wharf or from a rented boat bring up lingcod, rock cod, halibut, flounder, sea bass and sometimes octopus. Williams keeps a photo book of customers' catches going back to the 1990s.
The Sentinel also explained why the far end of the pier is quiet. With the Wharf House closed, fewer people have a reason to spend time out there. For now, a cup of coffee or a plate of food means walking back to the Village.
Why the Restaurant Keeps Getting Pushed Back
The city's long-term plan is a "marketplace." It isn't a city-run restaurant. The city wants a private partner to finance, design, build, operate and maintain a year-round restaurant and fishing concession under a long-term lease. The fishing side would cover bait and tackle, boat rentals, sales and repair. The city issued that request for proposals on May 7, 2026. Concept drawings put the new buildings where the Wharf House and Boat House used to stand. The RFP describes those drawings as conceptual, not as an approved design.
Cost goes a long way toward explaining the delay. The city's conceptual plan estimates $5.8 million to $6.2 million for the preferred design. That figure doesn't include engineering and fortification of the wharf itself, or soft costs. An operator would be signing up for close to the cost of the rebuild just to put buildings on the deck. When the city reached out to potential operators over the summer, it got one letter of interest, KCRA reported.
At its September 10 meeting, the City Council took two steps, according to the city's Capitola Waves newsletter. It extended the marketplace RFP for a year. It also told staff to plan a less expensive temporary food-and-beverage concession to run for two to three years. A request for proposals for that temporary concession is due back to the Council in early 2027.
| Permanent marketplace | Temporary concession | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Restaurant plus fishing concession, privately built and run | A cheaper food-and-beverage setup |
| How long | Long-term city lease | Two to three years |
| Where it stands | RFP extended one year on Sept. 10, 2026 | RFP due back to Council in early 2027 |
| Cost figure on record | $5.8M to $6.2M conceptual, before wharf engineering | None published yet |
The city expects to bring the temporary concession's RFP back to Council in early 2027. Regular food service on the wharf would come after that, apart from one-off events.
The Lease Running Out in the Meantime
That puts more weight on the one business already out there. In June, city staff proposed a standard leasing policy that would have put most city-owned leases out to recurring bids. Existing tenants could have had to compete for spaces they had held for years. Lookout reported that Boat & Bait's lease expires at the end of 2026. The Council voted unanimously against the policy, the Sentinel reported.
Voting the policy down didn't renew the lease. The Council's October 8 agenda included a closed-session item on lease terms with TDD, LLC, which does business as Capitola Boat and Bait. No outcome has been announced yet. Williams summed up the family's position in her July interview with the Sentinel:
"We are still here. Hopefully we'll be here in the future and hopefully they will get their money situation all figured out."
The Council meets again on November 12 at 6 p.m. Agendas usually go up on the city's website the Friday before each meeting.
Two November Events on the Deck
Until a concession opens, events give people a reason to go out on the wharf. The Capitola Village wharf page says food, drink and music events will continue there while permanent plans are worked out. Two are on the calendar in the next few weeks, and a third is in the Village nearby:
- Capitola Plein Air Festival, starting Monday, November 2. Artists paint for four days on the wharf, the shore and Village streets. Hundreds of paintings go on display and up for sale, and visitors can vote for a People's Choice Award. The festival is free, according to Visit Santa Cruz County.
- Outstanding in the Field, Thursday, November 12, 1 to 5:30 p.m. A long-table dinner on the wharf, hosted by the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust with the Capitola Village and Wharf Business Improvement Area. Founder Jim Denevan grew up on Pleasure Point, about a mile west, and will run the kitchen. Tickets are $415, per the Capitola Village listing.
- Sip & Stroll, Saturday, November 14, noon to 5 p.m. This one is in the Village, not on the wharf. About 30 shops take part, and check-in is at Capitola City Hall, 420 Capitola Ave., per the Village calendar.
The Fisheries Trust's event description calls the pier "reopened, repaired, and revived." On an ordinary weekday after November 14, the open business on the deck will still be Capitola Boat & Bait, working out of its temporary sheds.
Genie Lawless follows Capitola's council decisions for clients the same way she follows sales prices, because changes like what ends up on the wharf affect day-to-day life in the Village. If you're wondering how a changing Village and wharf might affect what your home is worth, Genie Lawless can walk you through it. Get Your Home Valuation.
