The Port of San Diego

About the Port of San Diego

The port district is a state special district created in 1962.  It encompasses 34 miles of waterfront included 14000 acres of land.  It manages San Diego Bay and the Waterfront ‘Tidelands’


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The San Diego Port is known for its hospitality, marinas, yacht club, preserve land, and shipyards (general Dynamics.) The area of the port around National City is a cargo port.  Cars, windmill blades, and bananas are examples of products that arrive.

Projects are intended to enhance San Diego by promoting commerce, navigation, recreation, environmental stewardship, and fisheries.  

New Projects

  • Portside Pier:  New area on the bayfront housing 4 restaurants, which was previously Anthony’s Grotto.  It is two stories, with the top floor serving as a viewing deck to the public.

  • Seaport Village revitalization:   While a larger renovation is planned, the port has invested in maintenance and new ‘pop-up’ activations in the interim, including working with new tenants and new leases for this area.  The goal is to achieve a lifestyle shopping experience with new shops.  Also new restaurants, a coffee shop, and market will all be part of the revitalization. 

  • San Diego Symphony Bayside Performance Park: “The Shell.”  This was a $55 million dollar project.  The Shell can accommodate from 3000 to 10,000 people.  It is also a park open to the public. Performances are on hold right now due to Covid.  Get more information 

  • Stay Open- Shared Accommodations Hotel:  This affordable hotel is projected to be next to the Port of San Diego building.  It will have 226 rooms ranging from $30 to $100 per night.  Most rooms will be a pod style with a single bed.  Bathrooms and kitchen areas will be shared.  There will be rooms to accommodate families with private baths.  There will also be a roof top deck and with a bar and restaurant. 

  • East Harbor Island: New hotel projected hotel in this area.  The new hotel would be located on the waterfront close to the Sheraton.  It would contain and have access to walking trails and bike paths

  •  1Hwy1 project:   This is a 70-acre project and a potential cost of 1.5 billion dollars – the largest ever in San Diego – to reshape San Diego Bay.   Elements include retail, restaurants, lodging but developers would ensure 70% to 75% public space.  A redesigned traffic flow would allow streets to open to the water’s edge with a European feel.   Potential development may include a new hotel with an aquarium, and an observation tower, but plans are still being reviewed.   

  • South Bay area: Projected to build the Gaylord Hotel with a convention center. This $1.1B project would bring reoccurring revenue to the region and host conferences and conventions that are too small for our SD Convention Center.  

  • Chula Vista Bayfront Project:  Work is underway for an RV park encompassing 19 acres on E street tha would encompass 246 RV sites as well as vacation cabins and other amenities.  The RV park should be ready for reservation by may of 2021.   There will be adjoining walkways and bike paths to the Chula Vista Bayfront parks. 

    Chula Vista Bay front will have 2 major parks – one is a beach area for recreation and the other will have an ecological bent.   In addition, there will be 1500 condos being built by Pacifica called Amara Bay.

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The Blue Economy

The port district is working with various industries such as technology, aquaculture, remediation, and equipment.  These industries will be put in place to bring modern ecology to our bay waters. The hope is the port in conjunction with these various companies will act to clean up and perhaps farm our bay.  The port would like to see San Diego known as “Blue Tech Bay” as Santa Clara is known as “Silicon Valley”.  

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Rafael Castellanos

Port Commissioner

Rafael Castellanos

San Diego Port Commissioner

The chair of the Port's Environmental Advisory Committee, Rafael is also a partner with the law firm Solomon Minton Cardinal Doyle & Smith LLP in San Diego, where he specializes in commercial real estate and business transactional law.  He was named one of the San Diego Daily Transcript's Top Young Attorneys in 2008, and in 2011 was named one of San Diego Metro Magazine's 20 Men Who Impact San Diego. Rafael graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and he earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School as a Cornerstone Scholar.  He is also candidate for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1.




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