Chula Vista Bayfront
The Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista are working together to create new public parks and recreational adventures, improve the natural habitat, offer new dining and shopping options, provide a world-class hotel and convention center, and more – all for residents and coastal visitors to enjoy. It's a result of the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan developed in collaboration with the community and stakeholders, which envisions a world-class destination in the South Bay – a unique place for people to live, work and play. Scroll on to see what's new and what's in store!
Delivering More Coastal Access:
New and Improved Parks!
Harbor Park - formerly known as Bayside Park - is doubling in size from 12 to 25 acres. The entire park will be improved over time and in phases starting with the new park area in 2026. The 12 new acres have been split into two phases, the north and south phase. The south phase has the highest density of amenities and is the first area which will be developed. Some of the improvements proposed in this phase include (click on the images to enlarge):
- A new, nautical-themed playground with multi-age play equipment, various climbing structures, and play slope;
- A new splash pad with outdoor showers where users can rinse off chlorinated water;
- Accessible pathways to connect the existing park to the streets around the Gaylord and provide internal circulation;
- New landscaping including shade trees and usable groundcover for visual appeal and gathering spaces;
- Pedestrian lighting and park furnishings, including picnic tables, benches, and shade structures;
- A new entrance to the park from the roundabout at the end of H Street (a portion of Sandpiper Way will permanently close);
- Reconnected utilities to the south restroom near the fishing pier.
The Board of Port Commissioners will consider authorizing construction for Harbor Park South Phase in early 2026, with construction anticipated to begin shortly after. Completion of the playground is anticipated for fall 2026, and splash pad completion is anticipated in early 2027.
As additional funding is secured, the Port will continue to build out Harbor Park in phases to deliver the community's vision. A full build-out concept was created through extensive stakeholder and community engagement. Proposed features at full buildout include parking improvements, an enlarged and improved beach surrounded by terraced headlands, a pocket marsh with salt marsh plantings, a boat launch at the north end for personal watercraft such as kayaks and paddleboards, north and south meadows with paths and picnic tables, multi-use lawns and large public gathering areas; more pedestrian and bicycle pathways, an interactive fountain, and more.
Sweetwater Park opened April 2, 2025! With 39 acres of new public recreational space, it is now the Port’s largest park. Its unique features encourage passive and natural habitat-oriented recreational activities to complement the adjacent Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The park connects visitors with the bayfront’s ecology and provides environmental educational opportunities and family/child-oriented recreational exploration.
Sweetwater Park, along with the future Harbor Park, will account for more than half of the new park space planned for the Chula Vista Bayfront.
Sweetwater Bicycle Path & Promenade is a pedestrian and bike path within Sweetwater Park that connects Bayside Park, the marinas, and more to the Living Coast Discovery Center and the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort in the northern area of the Chula Vista Bayfront. Funded by an Urban Greening Grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, Sweetwater Path provides public recreation while protecting the environment and natural resources and is an important connection to the existing Bayshore Bikeway.
The path's primary features include a truss pedestrian bridge spanning the F & G Street Marsh inlet; benches and overlook areas for optimal views of San Diego Bay; native trees, shrubs and ornamental landscaping; and improvements near the bridge to restore a naturalized channel bed and channel stability while also creating new wetland habitat and increasing resiliency of the wetlands to sea level rise.
The Urban Greening Grant is funded through the California Climate Investments Program.
Gaylord Pacific is Now Open!
A New Era for the South Bay
Built in partnership by the Port of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, and RIDA Chula Vista, LLC, the historic opening of the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center marks a new era for Chula Vista’s waterfront. The Port, City, RIDA and other South Bay leaders and partners celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, May 15, 2025, along with representatives of Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, and many partners and community supporters.
Gaylord Hotels is the large convention hotel brand of Marriott International – Gaylord Pacific is the brand’s first West Coast location and Chula Vista’s first world-class hotel and convention center. Gaylord Pacific features 1,600 guest rooms and suites, more than 10 restaurants from fine dining to causal cuisine; multiple pools, waterslides and a lazy river; public promenades; a spa; and more. The convention center boasts four ballrooms, three levels of meeting space, and two outdoor meeting and event lawns. To ensure connectivity to the wider bayfront, the venue also has many public amenities including pedestrian promenades, bicycle access, a variety of food and beverage offerings, game activities, a nature playground, and more.
Economic Engine
The $1.35 billion resort and convention center is expected to have an enormous impact on the South Bay and the San Diego region and attract visitors from throughout the State of California and beyond. According to RIDA, it created 7,000 jobs during construction and is estimated to create sustained economic impact of half-a-billion dollars each year and thousands of permanent jobs.
Catalyst Project
Gaylord Pacific is expected to spur more development on the Chula Vista Bayfront. This project is part of the first phase, which also includes the brand-new 39-acre Sweetwater Park, an expanded Harbor Park (formerly known as Bayside Park) from approximately 12 to 25 acres, and the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort. Future phases include more public parks, expanded retail and restaurants around the marinas, additional hotels, and more. See below for more details.
The aerial drone footage of the construction progress was taken just weeks before opening courtesy of Mortenson | McCarthy Joint Venture in partnership with RIDA Development and HKS Architecture.
Enjoy the Sun!
Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay
Located at E Street and Bay Boulevard, this RV resort opened in 2021 and includes a mix of RV sites and vacation cottage rentals with a variety of upscale resort amenities including an onside café and bar, indoor/outdoor gym, arcade, welcome center and pool with panoramic views of San Diego Bay. Visitors can also enjoy the Chula Vista Bayfront’s Sweetwater Marsh, Sweetwater Park - which includes a bicycle path and promenade that connects to Harbor Park and the marinas, the Living Coast Discovery Center right next door, and more.
Learn more at sunrvresorts.com/sun-outdoors-san-diego-bay/.
Still to Come
Amara Bay
Pacifica Companies is in the planning stages for a residential, hotel and commercial development to be located on a City of Chula Vista parcel near the marinas. The finished project could include 1,500 condos, the first phase of which would be just under 200 units. There will also be up to 420,000 square feet of commercial space, and a 250-room hotel. It’s being designed to be pedestrian friendly incorporating wide public plazas and promenades within the interior and exterior of the community.
Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan
The Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan is a local and state-approved land use plan by the Port of San Diego and City of Chula Vista. The 535-acre plan envisions:
- 70 acres of new parks (100 acres total, including existing parks)
- 120 acres of open space, habitat replacement, wetlands and ecological buffers to protect wildlife habitat, species and other coastal resources
- Shoreline promenade, walking trails and bicycle path network
- 2,850 total hotel rooms
- 600,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and marina-support uses
- 220,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial recreation/marine-related office uses
- 1,100 – 3,000 space parking facility
Timeline
California Coastal Commission unanimously approves Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan.
South Bay Power Plant imploded.
Port and City of Chula Vista celebrate completion of the H Street extension project.
Port enters into an exclusive negotiating agreement with RIDA Chula Vista, LLC for a resort hotel and convention center.
Port adopts a Natural Resource Management Plan.
Port selects Sun Communities, Inc. & Northgate Resorts LLC to develop and operate a new RV Park near Living Coast Discovery Center.
Port and City of Chula Vista approve a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with RIDA Chula Vista, LLC for the resort hotel and convention center.
Port approves the RV Resort project by Sun Communities, Inc. and authorizes a Coastal Development Permit, pending satisfaction of certain conditions.
Port and City of Chula Vista approve a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) between the Port, the City and RIDA Chula Vista, LLC. The DDA set forth the necessary steps for the parties to authorize the financing of the project and commence construction, ultimately leading to a ground lease and required subleases for development and operations of a world-class hotel and convention center.
The Port and the City of Chula Vista continue inclusive and open outreach by holding design workshops for the future Harbor and Sweetwater Parks. The first workshop was held Sept. 27 for a discussion on the community’s preferred uses at both parks.
The Port and the City of Chula Vista hold second Harbor Park Design Workshop.
The Port and the City of Chula Vista hold second Sweetwater Park Design Workshop.
The Port and City of Chula Vista celebrate groundbreaking on the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort and Sweetwater Bicycle Path & Promenade projects.
The Port and the City of Chula Vista hold the final Design Workshop for the future Harbor and Sweetwater Parks.
Port approves Coastal Development Permit for Sweetwater Park.
Port approves Coastal Development Permit for Harbor Park.
Port, City and Sun Communities, Inc. celebrate ribbon cutting for the Sweetwater Bicycle Path & Promenade and the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort.
The City of Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego finalize the bond financing strategy for the Chula Vista Bayfront.
- May 10: The City and Port voted on any remaining documents that were needed to finalize the leasing documents and its contributions to this project.
- May 11: The Chula Vista Bayfront Facilities Financing Authority (“Authority”) voted on a package of documents to authorize any remaining actions needed to issue bonds.
The Chula Vista Bayfront Facilities Financing Authority (of which the Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista are the sole members) and RIDA Chula Vista, LLC (a Houston based developer) close escrow on their respective financing and the various parties have entered into the multiple leasing and construction documents – the final milestone – making way for construction to begin on the 1,600-room Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center.
The Port of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, RIDA Chula Vista, LLC, Gaylord hotels, and hundreds of community supporters gathered for a historic event to ceremonially break ground on the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center – the catalyst project for the Chula Vista Bayfront.
The Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista along with other project partners, South Bay stakeholders, and community members celebrated the start of construction on Sweetwater Park.
The Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista along with other project partners, South Bay stakeholders, and community members celebrated the opening of Sweetwater Park.
The Port of San Diego, City of Chula Vista and other South Bay leaders and partners celebrated the opening of Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center, along with representatives of Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, and many partners and community supporters.
Visit the Chula Vista Bayfront!
