CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The new Sweetwater Park in Chula Vista was officially opened to the public Wednesday, becoming the largest park space ever created along the San Diego Bay.
The park and its 39-acres of surrounding open space was one piece of a wider redevelopment of Chula Vist
a's waterfront, based around the soon-to-open Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, that has taken place over the last few years.
"This is really a special park," Port of San Diego Vice Chair Ann Moore said at Wednesday's ribbon cutting ceremony. "It's an area where people can come, enjoy the quiet, look at the natural resources that surround it. There's no other park like that in the bay."
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The epicenter of the park is a playground with equipment featuring educational displays about the surrounding environment and its wildlife. The wider preserve also has a number of new biking and walking paths, tripling the number that previously looped through the space.
Shortly after its opening at noon, the park and its grounds was already swarming with families, who arrived to enjoy its many amenities.
The popularity of the area is expected to surge even more when the Gaylord Pacific Resort opens for business on May 15.
View of Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center from the new Sweetwater Park on April 2, 2025. (FOX 5/KUSI)
"It is going to bring people in throughout the country to be able to spend their money, so we can invest in infrastructure and improve our city," Chula Vista Mayor John McCann said of the $1.2 billion development project.
The new Gaylord Pacific Resort is expected to have more than 4,000 permanent jobs on-site when it is fully operational, according to its parent company, Marriott.
With 1,600 rooms and dozens of attractions on site, the resort is also anticipated to catalyze other jobs outside its grounds by boosting tourism in South Bay. Chula Vista city officials say this could expand the local economy by as much as $500 million each year.
KUSI's Dan Plante contributed to this report. ...read more read less
