Why this matters:
Plans for the Chula Vista bayfront have been forming for decades. New projects are making the area a waterfront destination aimed at boosting the South Bay economy.
More than two decades ago, Chula Vista city officials and port leaders imagined a redesign of the Chula Vista bayfront aimed at transforming a largely industrial area into a place people would live, work, play and stay.
It’s all part of the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan, which is expected to stimulate significant economic development.
“Thousands of people from our labor community built the bayfront and thousands of local residents now work there,” said Port of San Diego Vice Chair Ann Moore in a recent city council meeting. “People are gaining skills, supporting their families — and they’re doing so without having to commute to San Diego for a good job.”
A key part of the plan was realized in May with the opening of the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center. The $1.3 billion site features 1,600 rooms, pools and waterslides, nine on-property restaurants, three levels of meeting space, and two outdoor lawns for events.
From the Documenters
This story came in part from notes taken by Josh Whitehead, a San Diego Documenter, at a City of Chula Vista Council meeting earlier this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read the note here.
This story was produced in part by Josh Whitehead, a San Diego Documenter. Read more about the program here.
Chula Vista resident Jose Brizuela is retired, but said he might even apply for a position at the newly opened resort.
The master plan is estimated to create over 2,200 permanent jobs and around 7,000 construction jobs for Chula Vista.
“It will help a lot,” Brizuela said.
But there’s more to the development already open and additional improvements coming to the 535 acres of waterfront property. Here’s where various projects in the development stand:
Housing and retail
Housing and shopping opportunities are planned throughout the bayfront project, including retail around the marina.
Across the street from the Gaylord resort, just east of the marina, the Amara Bay development will feature 1,500 condos in seven residential towers. Right now, residential construction is still in early stages, but work has started on the public improvements needed to initiate the development.
Other housing projects in the area include Bayview Point, a project between the City of Chula Vista, the Metropolitan Transit System and MountainWest Real Estate that would create a housing hub with ocean views and transportation access through the Blue Line’s E Street stop.
According to MountainWest Real Estate, the development will include “a 22-story apartment tower with 288 apartments, a 19-story residential tower with 216 apartments and a 400-room hotel with 37 for sale condominium units.”
The transit-oriented development is expected to include 100-150 affordable homes on the site plan, said Julia Tuer, MTS manager of government affairs.
Chula Vista and MTS are negotiating with Bayview Point to finalize the design and anticipate entering into a development agreement by the end of 2026, according to the city website.
Hotels
The Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort opened in 2021. The 19-acre park has 197 RV sites, 49 one- and two-bedroom vacation rentals, and amenities including a pool, fitness center, café and bar, putting green, pickleball court, playground and more.
The nearby Gaylord Pacific Resort offers wellness and recreation activities such as access to the water park, including day passes for non-hotel guests, and spa treatments. Guests can book cabanas and rent bikes, paddle boards and pontoon boats.
Another hotel, which will have 1,200 rooms, and cultural center are slated to be built just across H Street from Gaylord Pacific. Moore said the project has received permits.
In addition to the residential housing units going up, the Amara Bay development, taking up 35 acres, will include commercial space and a 250-room hotel.
Parks
Bordering the RV resort and Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, the 39-acre Sweetwater Park, which opened in April, was designed to connect people to the bayfront environment, offering educational opportunities along trails and outlooks. It features nature playgrounds, 2.5 miles of pedestrian and bicycle paths, meadows and native plant gardens and a 25-foot-tall sculpture by Roberto Salas that pays tribute to the flight of birds in the area.
The Bayside Park, closer to the Gaylord hotel, is also undergoing an expansion into Harbor Park, which will double its current size. The expansion adds an area in front of the resort, including a beach with added seating, parking improvements and more. Harbor park’s design is being led by Petersen Studio, the same firm that worked on Downtown San Diego’s Waterfront Park.
Officials hope to see more retail development in an area south of the marina.
Fire station
A new fire station was part of the vision for serving the communities in the bayfront development in anticipation of increased calls for service.
The City of Chula Vista plans to open a fire station that will grow as more funding becomes available. According to a city staff report, the station would open with one engine company and increase to two in the next year. While not operational yet, it is scheduled to open by late spring 2026.
“It will be the largest fire station in Chula Vista upon completion,” said Mirella Leung Lopez, a Chula Vista spokesperson.
The station will include office space, 16 dorm rooms, shared common areas and a gym. The building will be able to accommodate up to six emergency response vehicles — a combination of fire engines and ambulances.
After submitting the building plans for review, the city is in the plan check and permitting phase, aiming to break ground in the fall.
What’s next
Once housing, lodging, parks and commercial space construction is done, the master plan for the bayfront would leave land and take to the sea, realigning navigation channels and modifying marina water areas, said Port of San Diego spokesperson Brianne Page.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.