Officials from the Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista gathered for a historic event on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, to ceremonially break ground on the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center – the catalyst project for the Chula Vista Bayfront. They were joined by representatives of Gaylord Hotels and the developer, RIDA Chula Vista, LLC, and hundreds of community supporters of the project.
Gaylord Hotels is the large convention hotel brand of Marriott International. When constructed, this will be Gaylord Hotels’ first West Coast location. With its nationally recognized brand, the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center is expected to spur other development on the 535-acre Chula Vista Bayfront. Heavy equipment is positioned on site for the groundbreaking of the 1,600-room hotel and convention center.
Wednesday’s event marked the start of a bayfront development phase totaling $1.35 billion of investment. Decades in the making, the use of a public-private partnership was jointly conceived by the Port and the City of Chula Vista and executed through the participation of RIDA Chula Vista’s partners, RIDA Development Corp & Ares Management. The Port and the City successfully secured $275 million in public bond funding to support the public investment in the project and closed escrow in May. The first phase will include the resort hotel and convention center along with a brand-new public park, new roads, a parking structure, and supporting public infrastructure.
“The Chula Vista Bayfront in the defining project of a generation for the South Bay. We are finally realizing the fulfillment of all the tireless effort that hundreds if not thousands of people have invested in this project over the past few decades,” said Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. “I am beyond proud and honored to be here to celebrate the start of construction on the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center.”