![\"National](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SUT-L-NC_BAYFRONT-006.jpg\")
Construction continues on Pepper Park along the San Diego Bay waterfront on December 22, 2025 in National City, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nAfter more than a decade of planning and negotiation, National City has secured unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission for a development plan that officials say will finally give residents access to their city\u2019s waterfront.<\/p>\n
The commission voted Dec. 10 to certify the Port Master Plan Amendment for the National City Balanced Plan, marking what Mayor Ron Morrison called a milestone for a city facing a unique coastal access problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the only city on the West Coast that either has bayfront or oceanfront that does not have one inch of access to its bayfront,\u201d Morrison said in an interview following the approval.<\/p>\n
All three miles of National City\u2019s bayfront are controlled by either the Navy or the Port of San Diego, Morrison said, leaving the public with little access. The Balanced Plan development represents the closest thing to waterfront access the city will have.<\/p>\n
What the plan includes<\/p>\n
The National City Bayfront encompasses 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water, according to the Port of San Diego. The Balanced Plan focuses on the Marina District portion of this area.<\/p>\n
The approved plan expands Pepper Park by 2.5 acres \u2014 nearly 50% \u2014 from 5.19 acres to 7.69 acres. The expansion will include additional park amenities, picnic areas and a community stage.<\/p>\n
Construction continues on Pepper Park along the San Diego Bay waterfront on December 22, 2025 in National City, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The commercial side of development includes a recreational vehicle park with approximately 150 RV sites, 29 tent sites, 25 structured tents and 12 cabins. When economically feasible, up to 65 RV spaces would be replaced with two hotels containing up to 365 rooms.<\/p>\n
The plan also includes dry boat storage for up to 200 boats, new dock space accommodating up to 70 vessels, and up to 10 new moorings in the Sweetwater Channel.<\/p>\n
Public access features include a 12-foot-wide promenade along the jetty, a 3,600-square-foot public viewing area, and east-west and north-south corridors providing pedestrian and bicycle access.<\/p>\n
Maritime industry gains<\/p>\n
Maritime interests, which Morrison said are often wary of \u201cgradual encroachment\u201d from commercial and municipal development, secured significant benefits in the plan.<\/p>\n
A realigned Marina Way will create a clear buffer between commercial recreation and maritime uses. A new sound wall and rail line will further separate the areas.<\/p>\n
Approximately six acres of public streets \u2014 including portions of Tidelands Avenue and West 28th Street \u2014 will be closed and incorporated into the National City Marine Terminal\u2019s operations. The street closures will allow the terminal to expand its controlled area and eliminate internal fences and drive aisles that currently bifurcate operations.<\/p>\n
A new connector rail track will link the terminal\u2019s existing rail infrastructure to additional rail car storage at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe National City Yard, improving efficiency for maritime companies like Pasha Automotive Services.<\/p>\n
Reception and timeline<\/p>\n
Morrison said he made his fourth appearance before the Coastal Commission for this project on Dec. 10, when the plan was approved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we came before them with this one, they were all excited about it,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cThey literally lit up when we went in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission approved the plan unanimously.<\/p>\n
Only two people objected during public comment. One requested waiting for data from recently installed air pollution monitors before proceeding. Another sought additional changes to the plan. The commission rejected both objections, with commissioners noting the project had undergone extensive review and stakeholder coordination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful to the California Coastal Commission for its support of the National City Balanced Plan,\u201d Danielle Moore, chair of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, said in a statement. \u201cThe progress we have made has been anchored in tireless collaboration with the community, business leaders, and of course the City of National City.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab, who represents National City on the Board of Port Commissioners, said in a statement the plan represents \u201ca lasting legacy for National City, the Port of San Diego, and the entire region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Economic impact<\/p>\n
Morrison emphasized the plan\u2019s importance for the city\u2019s finances at a time when traditional revenue sources are declining.<\/p>\n
\u201cCities have always depended on sales tax and retail just isn\u2019t what it used to be,\u201d he said. \u201cSo to be able to bring these hotels in is going to be a huge boost for our civic economy so that we can continue to provide services within the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The transient occupancy tax \u2014 10% of hotel room rates \u2014 goes directly to the city and can fund parks, police protection, fire protection and other services, Morrison said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople in National City aren\u2019t going to stay in those hotels exactly,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be people from outside, but the taxes, like 10% of your hotel room, goes right to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
One hotel on 24th Street, approved in an earlier phase, is already operating and \u201cdoing phenomenally well,\u201d according to Morrison.<\/p>\n
Next steps<\/p>\n
The Board of Port Commissioners must accept the Coastal Commission\u2019s certification before implementation can advance.<\/p>\n
Morrison said the city is currently working with the port on engineering, permitting and funding for infrastructure, including the road realignment and sound wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful, probably by the end of this next year, to actually see some stuff that\u2019s starting to happen there,\u201d Morrison said, referring to the park expansion and road alignment work.<\/p>\n
The journey from the initial proposal in 2014 to final approval took more than a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been easy because at first we were told, \u2018Oh no, this isn\u2019t going to work. You guys can\u2019t do this, can\u2019t do that,\u2019\u201d Morrison said. \u201cAnd yet we persevered on it and made something that everyone\u2019s happy with. And that\u2019s the exciting thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After more than a decade of planning and negotiation, National City has secured unanimous approval from the California…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118737,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,181,23,5119,100,74,84,76,75,3055,1696],"class_list":{"0":"post-118736","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-national-city","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-san-diego-county","15":"tag-san-diego-headlines","16":"tag-san-diego-news","17":"tag-south-county","18":"tag-top-stories-sdut"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}