A large portion of a cliff in Ocean Beach has collapsed at the base of an apartment complex just south of the pier.
But the risk to people who live in the building is not yet known.
The collapse happened this weekend at the base of Pelican Point Apartments on Narragansett Avenue when a large portion of the cliff gave way under some first floor patios.
The compromised section of the cliff is covered with tarps for now but the future of the cliff's integrity is hard to predict.
Henry Elloso said he intends to rent an apartment in the complex in March.
“Concern, just to see if this will affect this patio,” Elloso said, speaking of how this incident is impacting him.
Pelican Point Apartments is walking distance from the Ocean Beach Pier. Standing on the pier now, one can see the large blue tarps now protecting the soft ground from more rain.
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Retired San Diego State University Geology Professor Pat Abbott points out the seawall is breached. A section of it has been pushed three feet forward.
“This is a deep seeded movement. We're not talking about sluffing here, we’re talking about back down in there several feet,” Abbott said.
Abbott blames last year's El Nino waves combined with this year's soaking rain for this collapse and other recent ones along the San Diego coast.
"I wasn't really thinking about it after all the rain and what happened,” Elloso said.
He is not alone.
The cliffs have the appearance of a fortress to others who live and hangout here.
"We live close by so I would hate for that to happen near our building,” neighbor Claire Halchak said.
The apartment manager is still living on the property along with dozens of other tenants.
Meanwhile, Abbott said to enjoy the view for now because the cliff won't last forever.
A San Diego City spokesperson told NBC 7, the Parks and Recreation Department is aware of the collapse. But who is responsible for the property and what can be done about it is still being determined.
