South Mission Beach Builds When the Visitors Leave. Here's the Street-by-Street Calendar.

In South Mission Beach, construction follows the beach calendar in reverse. Crews pull out before Memorial Day, the parking comes back for summer, and after Labor Day the fencing goes back up along the bay. The City of San Diego's schedule for its South Mission Beach Storm Drain Replacement and Green Infrastructure project repeats that cycle every September-to-May season through May 2030. Each season covers a different set of streets and courts.

This fall's closures are the first season of a multi-year calendar. If you live on or near one of the named courts, that calendar tells you which winter will be yours.

What Changed After Labor Day

According to the City's project page, San Fernando Place and the temporary staging area in the Bonita Cove parking lot were open to the public all summer. Both were scheduled to close again after Labor Day so construction could resume.

The work planned for September 2026 through May 2027 covers what the City calls System 1 and System 9:

• 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 where the drains meet the bay
• Eelgrass mitigation in the water

One item isn't on this season's list. The last of the eight water quality basins, the planted areas that filter runoff from the parking lots, will be installed in "a future season." The first seven went in between September 2025 and May 2026.

The bayfront is mostly a timing story this year. On the ocean side, Belmont Park's Beachside Fall Fest has run on weekends since September 10 and wraps up October 31. A few blocks east, the work season has only just begun.

How the Summer Handback Works

The summer pause explains why fencing that seemed to be gone has come back. The City described what was removed and what stayed through summer 2026.

All construction vehicles, heavy equipment and staging operations left the Bonita Cove parking lot, San Fernando Place and the nearby public areas, which restored parking and access for the season. Two cofferdams used for the storm drain installation stayed in the bay, and the City said they would remain until construction resumed after Labor Day. Over the summer they were surrounded by security fencing, hazard signs, night lighting, in-water safety buoys for swimmers, paddleboarders and kayakers, and security cameras monitored 24 hours a day. Bayside Walk remained open for walking, running and biking.

So the summer pause was partial. Land work stopped, but the in-water work stayed in place and fenced off. The City has also published a Safety and Monitoring Plan for the cofferdams.

A Calendar Measured in Winters

The City lists the rest of the project season by season and names streets in each phase. For anyone on these blocks, this is the clearest schedule available. The City calls each season "anticipated," so dates can move.

1. September 2026 – May 2027. San Fernando Place and Mission Boulevard, plus outfall grading and eelgrass mitigation.
2. September 2027 – May 2028. Systems 2 and 3, along Mission Boulevard and Capistrano Place. Old storm drains along the existing outfalls will be abandoned, and another low-flow diversion structure will be replaced.
3. September 2028 – May 2029. System 5, along Mission Boulevard, San Gabriel Place, Balboa Court, Cohasset Court and the shoreline. An old drain along Deal Court will be abandoned, and a low-flow diversion structure and meter pedestal will go in along Bayside Lane.
4. September 2029 – May 2030. System 6 on San Luis Rey Place and System 7 south of N Jetty Road. This season also includes pavement restoration and bike lane striping on Mission Boulevard, plus curb ramps and cross gutters.

Mission Boulevard shows up in almost every season, and that matters for daily driving. The boulevard won't get its final repaving and new bike lane striping until the last season, after the courts and places that drain into it have been rebuilt. The project scope also calls for grinding and overlaying Mission Boulevard so the street can carry more runoff. The City has a project map showing every numbered system, which makes it easy to match a court to a season.

Why the Pause Outlasted the City's Own Ban

The seasonal pause may seem out of date. On July 14, 2025, the City lifted its annual summer construction moratorium in beach communities. That ended a longtime practice of stopping work in the public right of way between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Mayor Todd Gloria said at the time that "For decades, projects were stalled during the summer, delaying improvements for residents." The same announcement said projects under California Coastal Commission jurisdiction still have to follow their permit conditions.

This project falls under that exception. The Coastal Commission lists coastal development permit 6-19-1426 for the City's South Mission Beach storm drain work, granted August 13, 2021. The City's project page credits the summer 2026 pause to "the California Coastal Commission summer moratorium."

The project's contract documents put the rule a little differently. They tell the contractor:

Do not Work in the areas where there is currently a moratorium issued by the City … Summer Moratorium from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.

The contract also lists the Coastal Commission permit and City Site Development Permit No. 2335940 among the conditions the contractor must follow. The two documents differ on where the summer restriction comes from, but the effect on the street is the same. On this project, summer stays clear and the work happens in the cooler months.

What Returns When the Fencing Comes Down

The finished project will look different from what it replaces. Besides the new storm drain backbone and inlets along Mission Boulevard, the City's scope includes water quality basins at the north and south ends to treat runoff from the existing parking lots, along with low-flow diversions that send some of that runoff into the sewer system instead of the bay. It also includes shoreline restoration and eelgrass planting.

The tree count will change too. To fit the basins, the contractor is removing 46 existing trees and relocating eight. Once installation is done, 43 new trees are to be planted, with new landscaping and irrigation.

The drain work isn't the only long-term project near Belmont Park. In June 2026, Times of San Diego reported that a 30-foot temporary metal tower had gone up above the boardwalk and would serve as the Mission Beach Lifeguard Station while crews finished the temporary station. The permanent replacement is estimated at $25 million. The City had identified $13.4 million, mostly from Mission Bay Park Improvement Funds, which left $11.6 million unfunded. The outlet reported that the temporary structure will likely stay above the boardwalk for years, and a San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson told the paper the temporary tower and trailer "will remain in place until a replacement for the existing Mission Beach Lifeguard Station is built."

Taken together, South Mission Beach has two major public projects running on schedules measured in years. The lifeguard station depends on funding. The drain project follows the seasons, and its published schedule puts the last phase south of N Jetty Road in the winter of 2029–30.

If you own a home on San Fernando Place, Capistrano Place, one of the courts off Mission Boulevard or anywhere near the jetty, construction timing can shape when you sell, rent or renovate. Theresa Bish can walk through a free home valuation with you and help you plan around which winter the work reaches your block.