While this year’s arrival quickly wiped away the hopes of opening in late 2023—it has now been pushed to late 2025—the West Harbor San Pedro developers have taken tangible steps forward. That includes the completion of Building 1A and the developers pushing the opening date up from 2026 to late 2025—which means they want to expedite the next phase, according to the Los Angeles Times.
And yes, that next phase includes a Ferris wheel.
Expediting the next phase of San Pedro’s drawn out West Harbor redevelopment project—and the return of San Pedro Fish Market.
Part of the overhaul of the Ports O’ Call entertainment area long drove visitors to San Pedro, the West Harbor’s $155M first phase—which will include restaurants, bars and shops—its developers announced plans to “expedite construction of the next phase, which calls for more food tenants as well as an array of outdoor pickleball and padel courts,” according to the Times. Dubbed the West Harbor Wheel, the giant attraction will reach heights of 150 feet.
Developers have also struck “a tentative deal” with the owners of San Pedro Fish Market to ditch plans to build an expansive $140M restaurant and entertainment complex nearby—and instead remain at West Harbor. When the famed restaurant closed in March of 2023 to make way for construction, they had forgone a plan to do a popup at a nearby space due to space and eventually dropped entirely from the West Harbor project.
It also includes San Pedro pizzeria Miller Butler and Coffee with Crème & Sugar, Oakberry Acai and a park set aside for new pop-up restaurant and beverage concepts to conduct R&D.
What’s Building 1A at West Harbor San Pedro?
The project took a huge step forward earlier this summer with the completion of the development’s first building, dubbed Building 1A. It marked a hard-hat invitation for investors and guests to tour the new space in July of 2024, according to the Daily Breeze.
Building 1A is the first of multiple structures completed for the West Harbor San Pedro project, a 42-acre development previously dubbed the San Pedro Public Market. It is taking over the space formerly the beloved Ports O’ Call.
While tenants—listed below—still need to build out the space to their specifications, the completion of Building 1A was encouraging enough that some 80 participants, including local Realtor Lee Williams, explored the space.
“I didn’t hear any negative opinions, which was pretty amazing,” Williams told the Daily Breeze.
This is particularly refreshing to hear. After plans were revealed in March 2016 for the then-$100M renovation of the San Pedro’s famed, 30-acre waterfront area known as Ports O’ Call, not many were impressed. This included a large portion of Long Beach fisherman and sailors who bounce back and forth between Ports O’ Call and Long Beach.
The history behind the massive developmental endeavor in San Pedro
The initial proposals were marked by theme park-saturated colors and nods to the berths of the 1950s and 60s. And they were eventually replaced by renderings below that offer a more warehouse, earth-tone-centric aesthetic.
Those then-new plans were unveiled in 2021 by the Ratkovich Company and Jerico Development, the partnership that formed the LA Waterfront Alliance overseeing the project. This was while the Ports O’ Call area was undergoing demolition to make way for the project. Shown at the Warner Theatre in San Pedro, the designs drew both applause and raised eyebrows. (Those designs included Rapt Studio as its design architect. And James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architect firm working on the master planning for the project. And lastly, Adamson & Assoc. serving as Executive Architect.)
The unveiling revealed stark contrasts to initial proposals, entirely eschewing homage to the area’s nautical past. Instead, it aimed for a glass-and-metal look with large, steel A-frames encasing massive expanses of retail and restaurant space.
The third batch of renderings—set at the current price tag of $150M—was a mixture of designer. One one hand, the hyper-contemporary iteration. And on the other, a return to a more rustic look. Corrugated metals, earth tones, and large logos paired with an expanded patio section. More outdoor dining space and container kitchens. And play areas to accommodate visitors with children and dogs.
What’s to be built for West Harbor San Pedro
The fourth (and final?) set of renderings mute the rust colors while stripping down the warehouse look. In their stead, a contemporariness to their structures with wood and metal beams, glass, and whites.
“By making port space public space for everyone, from joggers to boaters to cyclists to walkers, we’re connecting San Pedrans, Angelenos, and out-of-towners ready to celebrate small businesses, local restaurants, and community,” stated the project team at Jerico.
Other highlights of the project include:
- Fisherman’s Park, a 3-acre pedestrian promenade that includes trails, bicycle paths, water features and more.
- Some 600 feet of continuous courtesy boat slips, bike and scooter paths, along with pedestrian and jogging paths providing direct waterfront access along the Market Walk.
- The possible moving of the USS Iowa from its northern docking slip and into the market space, acting as a direct attraction while also freeing up its former space to attract another cruise line.
- The possible incorporation of the famed Red Trolley, depending on the initial economic performance of the market.
Yes, there could be a Hollywood Bowl-style amphitheater coming to the project
Revealed in an environmental report published by the Port of Los Angeles, the proposed amphitheater is one of the project’s most bold (and unique) aspects. And it’s also least likely to come to fruition any time soon. While it was initially proposed when the project was announced over eight years ago, it is unclear if the Nederlander is still to operate it. The amphitheater would sit on a two-and-a-half-acre site where the main channel meets with what is called the Fisherman’s Slip.
A 40-foot-tall, nearly 10,000-sf bandshell will sit before a sloping 23,000-sf lawn and a 28,000-sf terraced seating area.
Some of the region’s most known and loved food brands are coming to West Harbor San Pedro
The announcement follows an impressive release of food tenants joining the project upon opening, including:
- Yamashiro, Hollywood’s famed mountain palace that has attracted tens of thousands of patrons yearly since it opened in the early 1960s.
- Mike Hess Brewing, the San Diego-based brewing giant whose local popularity has kept it alive and expanding.
- DTLA brunch- and fried chicken-favorite Poppy + Rose will expand into the nighttime with its West Harbor location—only its second, which is shocking considering its popularity—which includes a 2,000-square-foot patio that will allow its dedicated brunch crowds to overlook water, bikes, and ships.
- Popular Long Beach Exchange-based Jay Bird’s will open its fourth Nashville hot chicken location.
- Sugar Factory American Brasserie, the over-the-top worldwide brand which prides itself on serving rainbow pancakes you can top with gummy bears, sprinkles, whipped cream, and other assortments of, well, sugar.
West Harbor is to hopefully open in late 2025.
This article was originally published in July; it has been updated with more relevant information.
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I Lived in San Pedro, most of my childhood and ports of call the fishermans festival was so fun, I and my 6 siblins will always keep it close to our hearts, I’m so excited to see what this new Generation will bring to see families, and kids that live in San Pedro together, I hope and pray it brings much joy and Happiness as it did for us kids. Pedro is home to us still.