From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the California Coastal Commission's summer construction moratorium mostly stops park work along Mission Bay. That means fall is the busy season for work crews on PB's bay side. This October, the western end of the shoreline is finished and open again. The eastern end, around De Anza Cove, was scheduled to start its last phase of work after Labor Day. It also has the biggest long-range plan the bay has seen in decades.
So the shoreline from Crown Point Shores to De Anza Cove is moving at two speeds. Which end you head to on a weekend now shapes what you'll find there.
Why Crown Point Finished First
The city waived the summer moratorium for the Crown Point playground and kept it in place for South De Anza Cove. That one decision explains most of what you see along the bay right now.
Crown Point kept building through June and July. In June, city spokesperson Tyler Becker told Axios the goal was to finish by the end of July. He said some grassy areas would stay closed for about three more months so the new sod could settle in. By late summer, the Beach & Bay Press newsletter reported the playground open, with some areas still fenced while the sod takes root. Construction had started in March 2025. The newsletter put the budget at $5.5 million for the playground and a renovated parking lot, all paid from the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund.
That fund is why this work moved forward while the city's budget was under strain. By City Charter, 65% of Mission Bay lease revenue above $20 million goes back into the park, after money is set aside for the regional parks fund. In practice, the bay's leaseholders pay for the bay's playgrounds.
Fanuel Street Park, at 4000 Fanuel St., got its playground back another way. The city pulled the old play structure in August 2024 after finding serious corrosion from king tides. Dan Smith of Zoom Recreation, a local resident, teamed up with the San Diego Parks Foundation. They raised close to $200,000 in donations, and Zoom Recreation installed the new structure for free. Installation began May 4 and included new safety surfacing and sand play features. Both playgrounds were rebuilt with inclusive equipment, so kids of all physical and sensory abilities share the same structures.
So the western bayfront is back for daily use. One exception is the Mission Bay Golf Course. A city update dated Sept. 1, 2026, says night golf is suspended until further notice while the new front-nine lighting is tested.
South De Anza Cove, Where the Fall Work Is
South De Anza Cove waited out the summer, and the city scheduled crews to return after Labor Day. The project bundles three city capital projects. Together they cover an accessible playground, a comfort station, lighting, basketball courts, landscaping, stormwater work, upgrades to the boat launch ramp, and paving of the parking lot next to it. In May, Becker said Phase 3 would start after Labor Day and cover parking-lot repaving, concrete work, and final landscaping and irrigation. The three projects together are estimated at $14.5 million, with everything finished by spring 2027. The city's contractor paperwork puts the estimated end date at March 2027.
No newer city update confirming the start has been posted, and the city hasn't published a breakdown of which parking spaces, courts or ramp lanes are closed during this phase. Its Mission Bay restroom availability sheet lists the De Anza South restroom as closed and De Anza North as open.
A smaller project is running on the same schedule across the bay at Ventura Cove. Its second phase, with a new restroom, accessible sidewalks and parking, and conduit for future EV charging, was also scheduled to start after Labor Day. Major work was expected to wrap up this month, followed by several months for new landscaping to grow in.
Even with the fences up, De Anza Cove is where PB's community events are heading. The Pacific Beach Town Council's 46th annual PAESAN barbecue was held there on Sept. 23 instead of at its longtime Crown Point home. The council's vice president, Liz Garcia, explained why to the Union-Tribune:
"We're doing it over at De Anza again, because of the construction on the playground. It was a beautiful venue last year. It worked out really well, it was actually better for parking and had a nice breeze. … We might just be there forever now."
The Plan That Runs for Decades
The South De Anza work will be done by spring. A much larger plan for the same corner of the bay is just getting started. In mid-August, the Coastal Commission voted unanimously to approve the city's De Anza Natural plan, with changes. The plan would turn Campland on the Bay and much of the Mission Bay RV Resort into wetlands. It would grow habitat there from about 70 acres to a little over 260. Council President Joe LaCava called the area "the backyard park for the Pacific Beach community." He said the Mission Bay Golf Course, the Pacific Beach Tennis Club and the Bob McEvoy Youth Fields would all stay.
Camping would continue on a smaller footprint. The plan sets aside about 48.5 acres for low-cost visitor accommodations, down from the nearly 75 acres Campland and the RV resort use today. The commission also asked for more than 30 changes. One of the biggest involves the two proposed channels that would send part of Rose Creek through De Anza Cove. Technical studies must now show those channels would work before anything gets built.
| Timeline | What's happening at De Anza Cove |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Phase 3 of South De Anza park work scheduled: repaving, concrete, landscaping |
| Mid-October to year-end 2026 | City Council expected to adopt the commission's changes; no hearing date posted as of early October |
| March to spring 2027 | Estimated completion of South De Anza park improvements |
| Next 15 to 20 years or more | Wetland restoration and camping relocation, pending studies and funding |
The ReWild Coalition, led in part by Andrew Meyer of the San Diego Bird Alliance, says this is the first time money from the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund has gone toward habitat restoration. That includes $3 million for De Anza Natural planning this year. The same lease revenue that rebuilt Crown Point's playground is now paying for the marsh plan.
The Bayside Calendar Through December
A lot of what's happening on PB's bay side this fall is tied to the marsh, the water and the boats. UC San Diego's Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve, at 2055 Pacific Beach Dr., runs Wander the Wetlands with the San Diego Bird Alliance on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, 9 to 11 a.m. No RSVP is needed. Binoculars are available, the ground can be muddy and uneven, and dogs and other pets aren't allowed inside the reserve.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Oct. 5 | Guided tour, Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve | Advance registration requested |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Wander the Wetlands birding | Free, 9 to 11 a.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | UCSD Open, Mission Bay Yacht Club | Sailing on the bay |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Wonders of the Wetlands lecture: Bee City USA | Registration encouraged |
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Coastkeeper water-quality sampling, De Anza Cove Park | 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; capped at 12; prior training required |
| Oct. 23 to 25 and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 | Howl-o-Weekends at Campland on the Bay | Two Halloween weekends |
| Sat., Oct. 24 and Sat., Nov. 28 | Wander the Wetlands work parties | Weeding or trash pickup; tools and gloves provided |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Turkey Regatta, Mission Bay Yacht Club | Sailing on the bay |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Wander the Wetlands birding | Free, 9 to 11 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Mission Bay Parade of Lights | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
The Coastkeeper sampling day at De Anza Cove matters more than it might seem. The Coastal Commission cited Mission Bay's impaired listing for mercury, PCBs and bacteria. Phillip Musegaas of San Diego Coastkeeper pointed out that the bay's northeast corner doesn't get the tidal mixing the western bay does. Volunteer sampling helps track conditions in that corner over time.
The 2026 parade route hasn't been announced. Last December, Times of San Diego reported that boats started near Crown Point and finished near De Anza Cove. If that route holds, the parade will end next to a park whose improvements are due to finish by spring 2027, on the same cove where the long-term marsh plan is still in its early stages.
I'm Emily Schaefer, and if you're considering a home within walking or biking distance of Crown Point, Fanuel Street Park or De Anza Cove, I can help you see how the construction schedules and the De Anza Natural timeline might affect that block over the next few years. Emily Schaefer offers a personalized consultation that starts with the bay side of PB.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
