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San Diego is literally growing. By 2030, it will look different (but just as sunny) — and we don’t need a crystal ball to see the city’s future. We’ve rounded up public info on 10 projects that will change San Diego’s appearance by the end of the decade.
🌆 Skyline
- Seaport Village and Central Embarcadero will be redesigned as part of the $3.5 billion 1HWY1 project, hoping to break ground in 2025. The space will include a new urban beach, a living shoreline, hotels and convention space, and a new observation tower that will change our city’s skyline.
- The East Village Quarter project will aim to overhaul the area surrounding Petco Park into a residential and hospitality hub with food, shopping, and parks. The $1.5 billion project will redesign Tailgate Park which is currently owned by the Padres, but the sale of the property was delayed in late 2022.
A rendering of a proposed front terrace before the redesigned Ocean Beach Pier.
Image via City of San Diego.
🎟️ Entertainment
- The Ocean Beach Pier is expected to get a new look in the future, as the current structure has reached “the end of its service life.” City officials recently introduced three potential redesigns to rehabilitate or replace the existing pier. The OB Pier Renewal project’s completion date has not been announced, but the city hopes to unveil a preferred concept by early 2024, and a design update by fall 2024.
- The iconic Botanical Building in Balboa Park will be fully restored, including a new welcome center and landscape to keep plants growing. Phase 1 is expected to be completed in spring 2024.
- After decades of planning, the Gaylord Pacific Hotel and Convention Center in Chula Vista has broken ground and is expected to be completed in 2025. The bayfront development will have 1,600+ rooms for guests and will redevelop existing community spaces like Sweetwater and Bayside parks.
🚘 Travel
- Construction on the San Diego International Airport’s New T1 project has already taken off, with an anticipated end date of 2028. This summer, SAN announced the restaurants and vendors that will be added during the development process.
- The city has made strides toward improving bikeability, and there are many projects planned through 2050 — two of the biggest being the North Park-Mid-City Bikeways and Uptown Bikeways. These projects alone will add 25 miles of bike paths, with construction through 2026.
- We’ll drive faster and in less traffic. The Build NCC project from SANDAG and Caltrans continues to open HOV lanes. In February 2022, nine new miles of HOV lanes opened between Solana Beach and Carlsbad and 4 more miles opened between Carlsbad and Oceanside in June 2023. Phase 2 of the project ends in 2030, and Phase 3 begins in 2031.
🏘️ Housing
- Housing will continue to look different as “Homes for All of Us” incentivizes the construction of affordable, multi-family complexes and accessory dwelling units. Last year, Measure C was approved, removing the 30-foot height limit for building in the Sports Arena area allowing the Midway Rising project to proceed, which will create 4,000+ housing units. It hopes to break ground in 2025.
- The Convoy District is in a redevelopment phase that will improve transportation and revitalize the area. This will start with a new community sign and 531-unit complex, slated to be completed in 2025. Larger housing complexes are still in the approval process.
