Construction Starts on Harbor Park’s South Phase, Expanding Public Access on the Chula Vista Bayfront

Groundbreaking marks next step in long-running bayfront redevelopment

Construction has begun on Harbor Park along the Chula Vista Bayfront, launching the first on-the-ground work for a planned expansion that will more than double the existing park’s footprint. The start of construction follows a formal groundbreaking held Tuesday, March 3, 2026, by the Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista.

Harbor Park sits beside the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center site and is part of the broader Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan, a state-approved land-use framework adopted in 2012 that guides redevelopment across roughly 535 acres of bayfront property. The master plan sets out a mix of new parks, habitat restoration, shoreline access and visitor-serving development, with phased implementation over multiple decades.

What is being built in the initial phase

The current construction effort focuses on the park’s south phase, a project budgeted at $15 million. Plans call for a set of family-oriented amenities designed to increase recreational use while improving circulation and access within and around the park.

• A nautical-themed playground with multi-age play equipment
• A splash pad and outdoor rinse-off showers
• New accessible pathways connecting the existing park to surrounding streets and internal park routes
• Landscaping and added shade trees
• Pedestrian lighting and park furnishings such as benches, picnic tables, and shade structures
• A new park entry area tied to the roundabout at the end of H Street, paired with a permanent closure of a segment of Sandpiper Way

Size, schedule, and phased delivery

Harbor Park is planned to expand from about 12 acres to approximately 25 acres. The additional 12 acres are being delivered in phases, with the south phase identified as the most amenity-dense portion and the first to be built.

Project schedules released by public agencies indicate the playground is expected to be completed in fall 2026, with splash pad completion anticipated in early 2027. Additional elements of the park beyond the south phase are expected to proceed as funding is secured, consistent with the master plan’s phased approach.

How Harbor Park fits into the wider bayfront plan

Harbor Park is one of several public-realm investments planned or delivered in the first phase of the Chula Vista Bayfront redevelopment. Nearby, Sweetwater Park opened to the public on April 2, 2025, adding 39 acres of open space oriented toward habitat-adjacent recreation. Together, Sweetwater Park and Harbor Park represent a large share of the new park space planned for the bayfront.

Harbor Park’s expansion is designed to increase public shoreline access and add new recreation amenities while the larger bayfront plan advances in staged development.

At full buildout, Harbor Park planning materials also contemplate future features such as improved beach areas, additional walking and biking paths, landscaped meadows and gathering lawns, and wetland-oriented elements intended to complement habitat buffers across the bayfront.