Chula Vista Bayfront
A partnership between the Port of San Diego and City of Chula Vista, the redevelopment of the 535-acre Chula Vista Bayfront envisions a world-class destination in the South Bay – a unique place for people to live, work and play. It is designed 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.
Gaylord Pacific & Sweetwater Park Are Now Open!
The Port of San Diego, City of Chula Vista and other South Bay leaders and partners celebrated the opening of the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center with a ribbon cutting on May 15.
On April 2, Sweetwater Park opened just north of the resort. At 39 acres, it's the Port's largest park and it is the first new park completed as part of the Chula Vista Bayfront redevelopment project.
Gaylord Pacific Now Open!
To the right is aerial drone footage taken of the construction progress taken just weeks before opening courtesy of Mortenson | McCarthy Joint Venture in partnership with RIDA Development and HKS Architecture.
See below for more details on this project as well as additional projects and plans for the Chula Vista Bayfront. If you wish to view older construction progress videos, click here.
Catalyst Project
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.
Historic Groundbreaking
The Port of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, RIDA Chula Vista, LLC, Gaylord hotels, and hundreds of community supporters gathered together on July 27, 2022 to celebrate the start of construction on the Gaylord Resort & Convention Center project. Opening is anticipated in summer 2025.
Additional Projects
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Sweetwater ParkSweetwater Park
Now Open!
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.
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Sweetwater Bicycle Path & PromenadeSweetwater Bicycle Path & Promenade
Now Open!
Sweetwater Path is a new pedestrian and bicycle path that connects Bayside Park, the marinas, and more to Sweetwater Park, 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.
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Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV ResortSun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV Resort
Now Open!
Located at E Street and Bay Boulevard, this RV resort 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 Bicycle Path & Promenade, and the Living Coast Discovery Center right next door, plus nearby marinas, bayfront parks, and more.
Learn more at sunrvresorts.com/sun-outdoors-san-diego-bay/.
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Harbor ParkHarbor Park
Harbor Park will nearly double the size of the existing Bayside Park and will be developed in phases. Proposed features at full buildout of the park include an enlarged and improved beach; waterside terraced headlands surrounding the beach; a pocket marsh with salt marsh plantings; a portion of the waterfront promenade; a boat launch at the north end for personal watercraft such as kayaks and paddleboards; north and south meadows with paths and picnic tables; formal, multi-use lawns and large public gathering areas at the north and south ends; north promontory providing dramatic views across the bay to the west to downtown San Diego and the Coronado Bridge to the north; pedestrian and bicycle improvements; beach lawn; interactive fountain; children and family play area; café and beach rental building (including restrooms) at the north end; more parking; a new pier at H Street; improvements to address sea level rise; and more. The existing fishing pier will remain and will be in addition to the future H Street pier.
Harbor Park, along with the future Sweetwater Park, will account for more than half of the new park space planned for the Chula Vista Bayfront.
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PacificaPacifica
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 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!
