April 14, 2020 — As part of the transformation of the Chula Vista waterfront on San Diego Bay, the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the future Sweetwater Park. Planned for the northern portion of the Chula Vista waterfront near E Street and Bay Boulevard, Sweetwater Park is envisioned as a meadow-type open space to showcase the unique natural assets of San Diego Bay, encouraging passive recreation to complement the adjacent Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Proposed features include:

  • Meadows and specialty gardens
  • Mounded grasslands
  • Nature playground
  • Picnic area
  • Various pedestrian and bicycle paths – some with paved and others with softer surfaces
  • Sand dunes
  • Multiple overlooks for bayfront viewing

“The parks that are being designed and planned, including Sweetwater Park, will give us the long-awaited, enhanced shoreline recreation and active commercial harbor we’ve wanted for quite some time in the South Bay,” said Chair Ann Moore, Chula Vista’s representative on the Board of Port Commissioners. “Sweetwater Park, specifically, will allow us to appreciate nature on our bayfront, while also protecting the wildlife habitat, species, and our precious coastal resources.”

Sweetwater Park is one of two future parks currently in the design phase for the Chula Vista Bayfront Project. Sweetwater Park, along with Harbor Park, will account for more than half of the new park space planned for the Chula Vista waterfront. The parks design teams are KTU+A and Petersen Studio who were selected for their extensive urban park and waterfront design expertise – with an emphasis on local landscape architecture and natural resource management experience. The Port, along with the City of Chula Vista, in partnership with the design teams, conducted a three-part public outreach process to provide the community the opportunity to help guide the design vision for the parks.

The approved CDP will allow for completion of the design of the park. Future financing for the Gaylord Pacific resort hotel and convention center will include funding for Sweetwater Park and other public infrastructure and amenities. Next steps include award of a construction contract and then start of construction. Sweetwater Park is required to be completed prior to a Certificate of Occupancy being issued for Gaylord Pacific.

The Chula Vista Bayfront Project, a partnership between the Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista, envisions a vibrant, innovative destination in the San Diego region – a unique and welcoming place for people to live, work and play. When the project is complete, the public will enjoy more than 200 acres of parks, a shoreline promenade, walking trails, RV camping, shopping, dining and more. While providing long-awaited, enhanced shoreline recreation and an active commercial harbor in the South Bay, the Chula Vista Bayfront project will also establish ecological buffers to protect wildlife habitat, species and other coastal resources.