In Mission Beach, the big public projects happen in the off-season. The City of San Diego's South Mission Beach storm drain and green infrastructure project pauses every Memorial Day under the California Coastal Commission's summer moratorium. It picks up again after Labor Day. This fall is the second of five scheduled work seasons. The City's published plan doesn't reach Mission Boulevard repaving and bike lane striping until September 2029 through May 2030.
So the quiet months are when the south end has fencing and equipment, and the busy months are when it doesn't. Everything below is laid out by that clock: what restarts this fall, what got finished before summer, the dated events between now and December, and the longer timelines that will carry into 2027 and beyond.
Five winters, by the City's schedule
The City's project page says the storm drain system in South Mission Beach dates to the 1940s in some areas. It describes the system as undersized or missing in key spots, which has led to regular flooding in developed areas and exposed outfalls on the beach at Mariners Basin. The fix is broken into seasons:
| Work season | What the City lists |
|---|---|
| September 2025 to May 2026 | Seven of eight green infrastructure water quality basins installed |
| September 2026 to May 2027 | Storm drain installation along San Fernando Place and Mission Boulevard (Systems 1 and 9), outfall grading, eelgrass mitigation |
| September 2027 to May 2028 | Mission Boulevard and Capistrano Place (Systems 2 and 3) |
| September 2028 to May 2029 | Mission Boulevard, San Gabriel Place, Balboa Court, Cohasset Court and the shoreline (System 5), plus work along Bayside Lane |
| September 2029 to May 2030 | San Luis Ray Place, as the City spells it (System 6), the outfall south of N Jetty Road (System 7), Mission Boulevard pavement restoration and bike lane striping, curb ramps and cross gutters |
These are anticipated dates, and the City frames them that way. The order is the useful part. Mission Boulevard gets dug up in stretches across several winters, and the City only lists the final repaving and new bike lane striping after the last drain system goes in. The City also has an overall project map showing which streets fall into which system.
What the second winter brings to San Fernando Place and Bonita Cove
The City said that while work was paused over the summer, crews removed construction vehicles, heavy equipment and staging from the Bonita Cove parking lot, San Fernando Place and the surrounding public areas. The point was to keep parking and access open through the busy season. That reopening was always temporary. The City's page states that San Fernando Place and the temporary staging area inside the Bonita Cove lot "will be closed to the public following Labor Day" so construction can resume.
Here is what the City lists for the season that runs through May 2027:
- Continued storm drain installation along San Fernando Place and Mission Boulevard
- Replacement of a low-flow diversion structure and a new meter pedestal
- Outfall grading and eelgrass mitigation
- The final water quality basin, which the City now says will be installed "in a future season" rather than this one
The summer safety setup on the water stays in place through the restart. The City kept two cofferdams standing all summer, surrounded by security fencing, hazard signs, nighttime hazard lighting, in-water safety buoys, and security cameras with 24/7 monitoring. Bayside Walk stayed open for walking, running and biking. The City says access to the fenced areas and onto the cofferdams is prohibited at all times. It asks kayakers, paddleboarders and swimmers near the project to stay clear of the marked zones.
Through October 8, there hasn't been local news coverage confirming the day crews came back or describing current lane impacts on Mission Boulevard. The City's schedule is the best guide for now, and the barricades on San Fernando Place will tell you the rest.
The trees will change over a longer span. To build the basins, the City's plan removes 46 trees, relocates eight and plants 43 new ones with new landscaping and irrigation. In October 2025, Times of San Diego reported that 25 of the 46 had already been taken down near Belmont Park. The replanting comes after installation, so for the next few winters some stretches will look sparser than before the project started.
What finished in time for summer were the smaller projects
The projects that actually wrapped up in 2026 were short ones that fit into a single off-season.
The temporary lifeguard station at the boardwalk. In March, construction closed the Ventura Place roundabout and the adjacent boardwalk on weekdays and sent foot traffic onto the sand. On May 27, NBC 7 reported that the $2 million temporary tower was finished. The City said the boardwalk was officially open in time for summer. NBC 7 described the Mission Beach tower as one of the busiest lifeguard stations in the city.
The Giant Dipper. Belmont Park put its wooden coaster through a $1.6 million, six-week rehabilitation in February. Per NBC 7's April report, the work focused on smoothing the track while keeping its historic character. Belmont's marketing director, Sarah Abelsohn, noted that the coaster turned 100 in 2025.
A free play structure near Shipwreck Cove. The same report said Belmont added a free-access play structure for younger kids and families.
That timing makes sense in light of summer crowds. The park told NBC 7 it expected about 150,000 visitors during the peak summer months. During the July heat wave, NBC 7 reported that management at the Plunge saw guest numbers rise sharply. The projects that got done were scheduled to finish before that rush.
The fall calendar, in date order
The events between now and December run alongside the restarted construction, at Belmont Park and on the bay:
- Every weekend through October 31: Beachside Fall Fest at Belmont Park. The park lists retro displays, live music, rides, and seasonal food and drinks. Details are on Belmont's fall fest page.
- October 9, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Glow N Float Pumpkin Patch at the Plunge. The indoor pool hosts a glow-themed pumpkin night, per Belmont's events calendar.
- October 16 to 18: Mission Bayfest at Mariner's Point Park. The dates come from the Bayfest site.
- October 25: Trunk or Treat car show at Belmont Park. The calendar lists 75 classic cars, with candy pickup before 5 p.m.
- December 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Mission Bay Parade of Lights. That date comes from the San Diego Tourism Authority listing. The organizer's Discover Mission Bay page still says "December TBD 2026," so check there closer to the date before planning around it.
These events overlap with the restarted work. The City's restart notice returned the Bonita Cove staging area and San Fernando Place to construction use after Labor Day, so getting to anything on the bay side this fall means going around those closures. The City kept Bayside Walk open for walking, running and biking through the summer pause.
The longer clocks run into the next decade
The storm drain project isn't the only one on a multi-year schedule. Two other long-running plans will shape the next several winters.
The temporary lifeguard station was built to hold over until the permanent station gets replaced. In March, the Union-Tribune reported that no money had been set aside for designing or building the permanent station. The City's Fiscal Year 2027 draft budget now treats the permanent replacement as Phase 3. It anticipates a design-build solicitation in FY 2027, design completion in FY 2030 and construction in FY 2030 through 2032. The draft lists a $29.3 million total, with $11.6 million still labeled as unidentified future funding. Because it's a draft budget, those years are a plan rather than a commitment. Even so, the temporary tower on the boardwalk is likely to be there for several summers.
Belmont Park's larger redevelopment is moving on its own timeline. In April 2024, the Union-Tribune reported plans for the park's northwest corner: three thrill rides, a redesigned Beach House, a more direct connection from the beach to the midway, and an indoor-outdoor arcade bar. By March 2025, the paper reported that construction on the Beach House and the additional rides wasn't expected to start before 2027, and the arcade bar was on hold. Local coverage since then hasn't confirmed a start date.
Taken together, the three schedules put the next big changes at the south end and the boardwalk in the winters ahead. Here is what's on the calendar now. San Fernando Place and the Bonita Cove staging area are back under construction through May 2027. The Plunge's pumpkin night is October 9. Bayfest runs at Mariner's Point October 16 to 18, and Belmont's Trunk or Treat is October 25.
If the work schedule and fall calendar have you thinking about how your own block in Mission Beach may change over the next few winters, Barbara Huba is glad to talk through what's planned near you and answer questions with care and promptly. Ready to Make Your Move?
