Negotiations between the owners of the currently homeless San Pedro Fish Market and the West Harbor developers are showing promise, both parties reported this week — with the historic restaurant’s proprietors saying they could potentially resume operations by early next month.
While issues remain and no agreement is in place, Eric Johnson, president of Jerico Development, said a “good meeting” took place with the Ungaro and Amalfitano families — the market’s founders — on Friday, March 10.
“The parties,” Johnson said in a Monday, March 13, email, “are engaged in substantive discussions regarding interim and long-term space for the San Pedro Fish Market at West Harbor.”
When the rest of Ports O’ Call was leveled in recent years, the San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant was left standing, even as West Harbor plans developed and construction crews began creating what will be a new waterfront attraction set to open in late 2024.
The Fish Market originally was to be part of that new development. But following discussions on what a new facility would look like and how big it would be, the market bowed out, saying the popular business needed more space.
Plans to build a new home on Berth 93 near San Pedro’s cruise and Catalina terminals also appeared to stall, with Fish Market CEO Michael Ungaro recently saying the planning for that was “on hold” as they worked with West Harbor officials on a quick turn-around temporary location that could also lead to a permanent spot in the new development.
The Fish Market was forced to move out of its “legacy” location on March 2 after four decades. The family-owned business, which began modestly in 1959, selling fish from a location on Ninth Street in San Pedro, moved to that spot in what was then Ports O’ Call Village, in 1982, opening on Good Friday. Before that, it operated at Norm’s Landing, a sport fishing complex opened by Norm Hagen in 1958 that also was on San Pedro’s old waterfront, where Ports O’ Call was developed in the early 1960s.
Now, Ungaro said, it appears there could be an agreement that will open a short-term spot “just steps” from the current location, with a way forward to work out a deal that could secure a permanent spot within the northern section of West Harbor.
“We had a great two-hour meeting with West Harbor on Friday,” Ungaro said in a text message, adding that the parties “mapped out” a path forward.
This map would lead to temporary locations opening in two phases, with a short-term spot opening by next month and a second longer-term — but still temporary — restaurant launching as soon as summer. The eventual goal would be to have another permanent home.
“There’s still a lot small details to work out,” Ungargo said, “but if all goes well, we hope to be open and operating with our temp kitchens and seating before Good Friday (April 7) in Phase 1 of our (temporary) location, which will be a very short walk from (the recently closed location).”
The second “temporary” phase, he added, would be larger space that would also but close to the just-closed market. That could open, Ungaro added, as soon as summer.
Overall, he added, it “would likely lead us into being a long-term partner in their (West Harbor’s) project.”
“All of these will be located in the North Park area of West Harbor allowing us to be fully functioning,” Ungaro said, “with seating on the water.”
The Port of Los Angeles, Councilmember Tim McOsker, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and state Sen. Lena Gonzalez have all participated with West Harbor in the process “to get things up and running as soon as possible,” Ungaro said.
The North Park section of West Harbor, which has been undergoing grading and other preliminary construction preparation work, is the area just south of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard.
Currently, the market also has two other locations — in Wilmington and Long Beach.
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But its home base has long been on San Pedro’s historic waterfront, offering a wide open view of the port’s main shipping channel. Mariachis frequently performed live music.
Loud, festive and off-the-beaten track, the Fish Market has attracted loyal customers from a wide radius for decades.
Port of Los Angeles spokesperson Phillip Sanfield said in an email that demolition of the now-vacant Fish Market venue is expected to occur this summer.
“We are currently in the process of surveying/assessing the site for environmental clean-up and demolition,” he said. “Now that all tenants have left, we are able to proceed with bids for Phase 2 of the (West Harbor) project (which includes finishing the promenade, as well as demolition of remaining buildings). We started accepting construction bids this week.”
It will take a few months, Sanfield said, to review those bids and then bring the winning bid to the harbor commission to award the project.
“During that time,” he said, “we’ll continue to do as much (environmental) clean-up as possible.”