A new playground with a nautical theme has opened along the Chula Vista waterfront, offering families expanded recreation options on San Diego Bay. Local officials and residents gathered recently to mark the debut of the Harbor Park Playground, which includes slides, climbing structures, rope hills, shaded areas, and picnic spots designed for children of varying ages.
The playground represents one component of a phased expansion of what was previously called Bayside Park. When complete, Harbor Park will encompass approximately 25 acres—double its current 12-acre footprint. Port of San Diego Board Chair Ann Moore noted that community input helped guide the playground's design, while Chula Vista Mayor John McCann praised the collaboration between the Port and the city.
Additional amenities are scheduled to arrive in the coming years. A splash pad for families is expected to open near the playground in spring 2027, the same year officials plan to finish landscaping and pedestrian pathway upgrades in the park's northern section. Those improvements will better connect visitors to new street parking along Harbor Park Way.
The playground and forthcoming splash pad fall under a $15 million southern phase improvement project. The northern phase, valued at $4 million, is receiving partial funding from a California Coastal Conservancy grant totaling $6.6 million. The remaining grant money will support a future beach and boat launch facility planned for the park's northern end.
Harbor Park's expansion is part of the broader Chula Vista Bayfront redevelopment initiative, which has already brought a 39-acre park, a resort and convention center, and an RV resort to the area. The Port of San Diego oversees 34 miles of bayfront across five cities and funds its operations without tax revenue.