Delaying Pier Closure Unlikely as the Columbia Prepares to Close

Council member Wengay Newton has asked City Council and Mayor Bill Foster to delay the May 31 scheduled closing of the St. Petersburg Pier until after the Aug. 27 primary election. 

"Over 16,000 signatures have been collected in an effort to have the Pier question put on the primary ballot," Newton wrote on the new business item. "With thousands of signatures obtained, it seems fairly certain that a Pier question will appear on the ballot. Keeping the Pier open until the vote in August will allow service and Pier employees to keep their jobs."

His request, however, is unlikely to happen because anchor tenants, the Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts, will be shutting down May 31 regardless if council decides to delay the closing. 

Foster, according to a report by TBO, said it would be difficult to keep the pier open past May 31 if the two major tenants of the pier are gone. 

The two restaurants comprise more than half the rents paid by Pier businesses, meaning the city would have to increase the $1.5 million annual subsidy it pays to keep the Pier open, Foster said.

“If you lose your anchor tenant, it has an impact on everyone else,” said Foster. 

Columbia owner and president Richard Gonzmart told FOX 13 it has been challenging enough to stay open.

"In the last 15 months...our company has subsidized the Pier to the tune of $110,000 in repairs and maintenance and replacements," Gonzmart told FOX, adding that the menu has already been reduced as kitchen equipment became unreliable. "When we close, basically we're just going to leave everything there."

by building a new restaurant at the base of the "Lens" called the "Hub". 

The new Columbia plan calls for a $3 million, 7,500-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a rooftop venue.

The agreement also includes a casual grille on the new Pier's promontory that will provide fresh food and drinks.

As Patch previously reported, Gonzmart says they would be interested in investing in docks to allow boaters to dock at the new Columbia Restaurant.

St. Pete would provide $500,000 toward construction, which is part of the city's original $50 million Pier budget, Foster said. 

Gonzmart said at the February press conference that he supports "The Lens" and plans to offer his employees jobs when the new location opens in two years.

"I've been honest with my team throughout this whole process. What I've ensured all my staff (is) that it's gonna be exciting," Gonzmart said.

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