Crews were trying to protect the cliff near two other apartment buildings, with the goal of preventing another evacuation.
The construction scene captivated people who live in Pacifica and people from out of town, some of whom drove out there just to watch crews unload these 10-ton boulders. The crash of the rocks and the constant waves were a reminder of the reality of erosion.
"If you look at some of the old photos of Pacifica, in the 20s and 30s, this all used to be artichoke fields and the coast went another 40, 50, 60 feet out," said Greg Day, Pacifica Resident.
The rock wall below the apartment building at 330 Esplanade is finished. But the owners of two other buildings on this bluff are taking advantage of the equipment and infrastructure already there. They were trying to secure the bluff below their apartment buildings at 340 and 360 Esplanade Ave.
"Lost a bunch of property, 360 lost a bunch of property. It's not building threatening at this very moment, but the bluffs all the way up and down the road here are all eroding at a very rapid rate," said Mike Avila, Michael Roberts Construction.
Michael Roberts Construction Company was building those properties a new rock wall similar to the one that was just finished below 330 Esplanade.
The owners of 340 and 360 were trying to avoid the fate of their neighbor. Wave erosion below 330 Esplanade ate away more than 30 ft. of land in a single week, forcing people who live there to evacuate.
Marie Fisher lives in the apartment's two buildings down on 360 Esplanade, one of the two properties adding a rock wall.
"I thought they already had a sea wall there, so no, I didn't know about it," said Marie Fisher, Resident.
She said she's not worried about the safety of her home - yet.
"We've got quite a bit of backyard, we've got a lot of land back there," said Fisher.
But as the soil engineers who worked to save 330 Esplanade explain, the land can erode quickly.
"Mother Nature wants it back, we can armor it and protect it and add quite a bit of life to it," said Morgan Anderson, Engineered Soil Repairs.
But they said there's only so much they can do to stop erosion.
