The Port of San Diego and the city of Chula Vista opened a nautical-themed playground Wednesday at Harbor Park, the first major piece of a phased expansion that will roughly double the size of the bayfront park formerly known as Bayside Park.
The playground features slides and a rope-climb hill, play and climbing equipment for kids of all ages, shade structures, picnic areas, wide pedestrian walkways that connect to adjacent park areas and new landscaping, according to a Port news release.
The expansion will grow the park’s recreation area from 12 to about 25 acres. The Port is improving Harbor Park in phases to expand beach and bay access and strengthen environmental resilience, according to the release.
“Today, we are delivering more open space and play areas for people to create memories on the Chula Vista Bayfront,” Ann Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners, said in a statement. “The South Bay community helped shape the Harbor Park playground, and we are ensuring that our waterfront offers something for all generations, from kids to those of us who are kids-at-heart.”
San Diego, California – The new Harbor Park, formerly called the Bayside Park, in Chula Vista on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Mayor John McCann thanked the Port for partnering with the city “to bring this project to life and invest in our community.”
“This is an exciting day for Chula Vista families! Harbor Park’s new playground creates a wonderful place for children to explore, families to make memories, and neighbors to connect,” McCann said in the release.
A family-friendly splash pad is set to open near the playground in spring 2027. Also in 2027, the Port will complete new landscaping and pedestrian improvements in the park’s northern area to improve connections from new street parking along Harbor Park Way, previously known as E Street.
The playground and splash pad are part of the $15 million Harbor Park Upland Improvements – South Phase project. The landscaping and pedestrian promenades under construction along E Street are part of the $4 million North Phase project, funded in part by the California Coastal Conservancy.
The Conservancy awarded the Port a $6.6 million grant, up to $2.26 million of which will go to the North Phase project. The remaining $4.34 million will go toward a future beach and boat launch project planned for the north end of the park, according to the release.
San Diego, California – The new Harbor Park, formerly called the Bayside Park, in Chula Vista on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Additional project partners include San Diego County, BNBuilders, KTUA and Petersen Studios.
The Harbor Park expansion is part of the first phase of the Chula Vista Bayfront redevelopment, which the Port is pursuing in partnership with the city. That phase also includes the 39-acre Sweetwater Park and the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center, both opened in 2025, and the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV resort, which opened in 2021.
The 1,600-room Gaylord, Marriott’s largest property, has become the centerpiece of the city’s bayfront ambitions. McCann has called it “a 22-year overnight success story,” and said in January that the resort had generated $88 million in revenue for the city.
Other bayfront projects are in the pipeline. Amara Bay, which has cleared the California Coastal Commission and broken ground, will feature seven towers with 1,500 luxury condos, a high-end hotel and retail.
Farther south, the Port entered an exclusive negotiating agreement earlier this year with developers of Pangea, a proposed sports and recreation complex that would include a tennis center, hotels, water polo facilities and a soccer stadium.
Next to the Gaylord, the City Council unanimously approved plans in November 2025 to transform the roughly 45-acre former Rohr Aircraft Facility site into a mixed-use development with offices, light industrial space and visitor amenities.