Construction on the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center on Chula Vista’s Bayfront already has local leaders looking toward the future.
“We’re going to be like a new city,” said Patricia Alvarez, board chair for the South County Economic Development Council.
In Your Neighborhood: Development in Chula Vista
Gaylord Pacific is expected to redefine Chula Vista’s skyline with its 22-story, 1,600-room hotel.
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“I couldn’t be more excited,” added Alvarez.
The Port of San Diego predicted the resort, which opens in 2025, will generate roughly 4,000 jobs and inject half-a-billion dollars into the local economy every year. The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center had a similar impact on the Aurora, Colorado community right outside Denver. More hotels, homes, restaurants, and businesses started popping up shortly after the resort opened in 2018.
“Same thing’s going to happen here, even on a bigger scale,” said Kipland Howard, a developer with Allegis. “You’re not going to believe what it’s going to do to this surrounding area.”
Plans have already been discussed for a large mixed-use condominium development right next to Gaylord Pacific and the Chula Vista Marina. Those empty lots have stood on Chula Vista’s Bayfront for years.
“I think all those empty lots, all the empty buildings, are just going to get filled with brand new businesses,” said Kevin Lewis, one of the co-owners of Three Punk Ales in Downtown Chula Vista. “The Bayfront projects are going to bring a lot more people, a lot more feet on the street.”
“Can you imagine all the jobs that everybody’s going to create?” exclaimed Alvarez. “It’s going to be bringing new revenue to our city.”
