Chula Vistans recently received a glimpse of what a future 550-acre bayfront will look like when project renderings were unveiled at a public meeting.
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce hosted a bayfront forum last week to give the public a peek into the bayfront’s future and how it will look under the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan.
The plan is for the city and Port of San Diego to “create the largest waterfront development opportunity on the West Coast” with about 60,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and marina support uses; 200,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial recreation/marine-related office uses; and a 1,100- to 3,000-space parking garage. The master plan is meant to transform the Chula Vista waterfront into a world-class destination for residents and visitors through a convention center, park, open space, recreation and cultural areas.
The bayfront will be separated into three planning districts: the Sweetwater District to the north at 130 acres; a 280-acre Harbor District in the center and 125-acre Otay District to the south.
The bayfront’s centerpiece is a $1 billion resort hotel and convention center that will be built by RIDA development on a 36-acre site. Two-thirds of the $1 billion price tag will come at the expense of RIDA Development while one-third will be paid by the city and the Port of San Diego. The deal is based on the principal that the project would pay for itself.
The plan calls for 1,450 hotel rooms, 275,000 square-feet of convention and meeting space, 100,00 square-feet of restaurant space and 20,000 square-feet of retail space.
Gaylord Hotels will manage and operate the resort.
Other developments include the relocation of the Chula Vista RV Park, which will be replaced with the new Costa Vista RV Park, a 19 acre site at E Street and Bay Boulevard that will include 267 traditional RV stalls and park models and 100,000 square-feet of open space.
Pacifica revealed its plan for an Amara Bay development near the resort and convention center. Constriction around Amara Bay can begin as early as 2018. The entire bayfront project is expected to be completed in about 20-years.
The bayfront project is expected to bring 10,000 construction jobs and 20,000 permanent jobs to the area. It is expected to bring in $2.1 million per year at build out.
While a small portion of the Chula Vista Bayfront will be in Southwest Chula Vista, District 4 Councilman Mike Diaz said the bayfront will provide an economic boon for all of Chula Vista.
“This project in totality is going to be great not only for Chula Vista but for the entire region,” he said. “When you look at the risks versus gain, whether you’re in east Chula Vista or west Chula Vista, the bayfront is going to have a huge (economic impact) for the entire community.”
