What to know as plans to restore this Brunswick County fishing pier inch forward

Evening walks on the pier and afternoon fishing trips are classic parts of any beach trip. This year, however, marks the second summer in a row that Holden Beach visitors and residents have missed out on those memories.

The Holden Beach Fishing Pier has been closed to the public since 2022, after the town purchased the pier and pier house property for around $3.3 million – without plans in place for its future. The Holden Beach Board of Commissioners got to work assessing the pier’s existing structural issues and forming a conceptual plan to renovate the property.

After approving a final site plan for the property in February 2023, new board members were elected in November 2023. In December, the board was set to act on bids received for the renovation project. Instead, the board paused the project to allow the new board members to get caught up on its status and scope .

Here’s where things stand now.

Project slowly moving forward again

Earlier this year, a public input session was held to allow the public to review plans for the pier and offer their thoughts. Following that meeting, the town’s board of commissioners is inching forward with the project once again.

In April, the board approved a pier property development plan to serve as a “baseline approach” and “starting point” for the development. That plan notes the repairs to the existing structure will likely need to occur in phases as funding is available.

The plan suggests those phases would be to stabilize the existing structure, complete safety repairs, complete remaining repairs and extend the pier, in that order. The adopted plan also notes that, due to cost, the pier would likely be replaced with a new wood pier, rather than a concrete pier.

“Although a concrete pier is preferred, it may not be financially supportable for a small tax base like Holden Beach,” the document states.

Additionally, the plan notes that funding for a pier replacement would likely require financing through a loan or bond.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram .

What’s next?

In May, the board voted to direct staff to develop a request for proposals (RFP) to move forward with accomplishing the first few tasks outlined in the pier property development plan: Preliminary design and receiving cost estimates for the repair or replacement of the pier.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What to know as plans to restore this Brunswick County fishing pier inch forward