Jury Ruling May Revive Stalled Pier Plaza Project

The stalled Pier Plaza project may soon be back on track. A jury decision has affirmed the city’s right to evict a pier-area concession owner.

City officials will return to Westminster Municipal Court next week to learn if TLC Co., the concession’s owner, plans to appeal the verdict.

A jury last week sided with the city, which has taken over from the state the lease of the pier-area food stand and parking lot, in addition to five other concessions at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

TLC partner Tom Lewis argued that his company signed a 1980 lease with the state, not the city. The contract expires in April 2000. A portion of the lease was transferred to the city in 1986 and the rest last year.

The dispute has delayed the ambitious $5-million Pier Plaza project, which city leaders are counting on to help rejuvenate the beach area and boost tourism. Lewis had refused to invest in the renovation project, saying the cost of participating was too high.

Pier Plaza construction was originally scheduled to begin last November. If the remaining legal issues are resolved, work could start by spring or early summer, said Ron Hagan, community services director. The project would be finished by summer 1998.

Lewis could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He has said previously that the city was using eviction to avoid paying a fair price for the three years remaining on TLC’s lease.

The city has authorized negotiating a settlement up to $90,000, but Lewis said his financial records show that TLC could earn about $825,000 during the next three years from the six concessions and 120-space parking lot.