Over the past 150 years, San Pedro has seen it all, from periods of great promise and prosperity to eras tempered by economic challenges and the loss of local industries.  Through it all, the Harbor Area’s dynamic evolution has made San Pedro what it is – a unique “Port Town,” full of pride, character, conviction and determination.

In the 1960’s, San Pedro’s business profile was diverse. There were multiple shipyards, a naval station in San Pedro Bay and an established fishing and fish processing industry.  On the waterfront, there was a newly developed Ports O’ Call Village where people came by the thousands to have fun and watch the activity that epitomized our rapidly growing harbor industries.

Today, San Pedro’s business offerings remain diverse, but are they diverse enough?  Is the Port positioned to reap the best economic benefits in the decades ahead from cargo, cruise, fishing and visitor-serving businesses? 

During the past twenty years, waterfront cities such as San Francisco, Vancouver, San Diego and Baltimore asked the same question that San Pedro is asking today: How can we ensure future prosperity while maintaining our great local character?  Each of these cities has succeeded in its quest by reinvesting in and re-developing their waterfronts.  The results were better infrastructure, reinvigorated local and visitor interest, broader economic offerings, and an improved quality of life for local residents.  One of the major goals of the Proposed San Pedro Waterfront Project is to help bring those same benefits to the Los Angeles Waterfront.

“Completion of the [proposed] San Pedro Waterfront Project will draw thousands of tourists to the San Pedro area each year for cruises, recreational purposes (swimming, fishing, boating), and to visit cultural institutions like the museums and aquarium,” said Nancy Sidhu, Ph.D., Chief Economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation’s Kyser Center for Economic Research. “Thousands of new jobs will be created to serve these visitors and thousands more to supply the new restaurants and retail activities.”

"This is the kind of investment that our community needs to secure its future," adds San Pedro native Anthony Pirozzi. "Investing in our future will result in new business opportunities, good paying jobs, improved education, and recapturing the pride and culture of the waterfront that is San Pedro."

In addition to providing public access to the waterfront via parks and public spaces -- all connected by an 8.5-mile-long pedestrian promenade -- the Proposed San Pedro Waterfront is also designed to generate what every great community ultimately depends on:  good paying jobs at every level through a variety of businesses across the waterfront and downtown area.

JOBS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED SAN PEDRO WATERFRONT PROJECT 

Based on economic modeling, the proposed San Pedro Waterfront Project could ultimately deliver…

• Approximately 4,100 jobs resulting from future cruise operations as proposed by the Port.
  
  
• Approximately 800 jobs related to expanded waterfront businesses and a new conference center as proposed by the Port.
  
  
• Approximately 17,000 one-year-equivalent jobs supported by the design and construction of a revitalized San Pedro Waterfront as proposed by the Port.