Historic Alex Bar-B-Q was demolished in Shell Beach. Here’s what could replace it
More than three years after it was accidentally demolished, there’s finally a plan to build something new at the former home of Alex Bar-B-Q in Shell Beach.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the Pismo Beach Planning Commission is expected to review an conceptual plan to build a two-story mixed-use development at 853 Shell Beach Road.
The roughly quarter-acre vacant lot was once home to a historic, 80-year-old building that housed Alex Bar-B-Q, but in 2018 the building was torn down in a snafu that had the Shell Beach community in an uproar.
Since then the razed lot has sat vacant along Shell Beach Road between Boeker and Windward avenues.
Bucky ‘n’ Bean LLC is proposing to build a two-story mixed-use development to include both commercial and residential uses at the site, though the plans are in the very early conceptual phase, according to a city staff report released Dec. 9.
“We want to design a community-oriented project,” said Mark Burnes of Burnes Commercial Group.
Burnes is acting as the representative for the project, which would be owned by Brenden Beck. Beck also owns the building at 1651 through 1677 Shell Beach Road that houses The Steaming Bean coffee shop, Burnes said.
The Alex’s project would potentially include four commercial lease spaces, three residences or condos with an outdoor patio, a community courtyard, public restrooms, an underground parking facility and some form of public art, according to the staff report.
Burnes added that the ground-level commercial space would feature a fire pit and landscaping, the leftover fireplace from Alex Bar-B-Q (one of the only things that survived the demolition) and “some kind of public art that will commemorate the history of Alex’s and the Shell Beach Inn which was there before Alex’s.”
He said the owner is looking for commercial tenants who will “best fit the community,” which could include a bakery, wine bar, martini bar with tapas and an art gallery.
“We want a place where we can have a lot of community events, and a place that the locals can enjoy for many years to come,” Burnes said.
The residential units on the second floor would total about 3,600 square feet, and would be occupied by the owner’s mother and two sisters, Burnes said.
The Planning Commission will not vote on the project during the meeting Tuesday night.
Instead, planners will offer guidance on the proposed project, before it comes back to the commission for final approval at a later date.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
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