San Diego's Harbor Island West Marina is trading in its tired look for something closer to a waterfront resort, with a roughly $70 million overhaul set to rip out aging buildings, rework docks and roll out hundreds of upgraded slips and amenities. On the wish list: a new boater lounge, fitness center, pool and spa, plus a public waterfront promenade and an observation deck. Construction will be phased so parts of the marina stay open, with work expected to stretch up to two years. The marina sits at the western tip of Harbor Island, just minutes from downtown and the airport.
As reported by the San Diego Business Journal, the plan is a roughly $70 million investment that will rebuild the property’s docks and landside buildings and deliver about 623 slips for boats roughly 20 to 140 feet long. The project will take out several aging structures and reshape the marina layout to better handle larger modern vessels, according to developers and local coverage.
What’s changing
State permitting materials show the project will remove older dock floats and demolish roughly 23,000 square feet of existing buildings to make way for about 15,682 square feet of new landside structures, according to California’s CEQAnet filing for the project. Developer renderings and materials from Beauchamp Leslie outline a mix of commercial space, a small deli, crew lockers and a widened 12-foot promenade intended to make this stretch of waterfront more welcoming to visitors and boaters alike.
Who’s building it
Industry reporting notes that Bellingham Marine is slated to handle the waterside dock work, while Pacific Building Group will lead construction of the new onshore buildings and amenities. Funding pulls together private capital and institutional financing, and the work proceeds under an amended long-term lease with the Port of San Diego, according to project coverage.
What developers say
“This project represents a major investment in the long‑term future of Harbor Island West Marina,” Eric Leslie, CEO of Beauchamp Leslie Management & Development, said in comments quoted by the San Diego Business Journal. Justin Papa, the project's vice president of development, told the Journal the team opted to “completely restart” the site to deliver an elevated, full‑service experience for boaters.
What it means for boaters
Marina operators say construction will be staged so current slip holders and visiting boaters keep access while the rebuild is underway. Local sailing outlet Latitude38 reported that transient berths will still be available through a phased schedule. The new concrete-dock system and upgraded utilities are intended to support larger vessels along with modern shore-power and service needs.
Approvals and timeline
The redevelopment cleared key environmental and water-quality reviews last year, including a Clean Water Act Section 401 certification and a mitigated negative declaration in state records. The Port of San Diego also approved amendments to the marina’s lease in 2025 that set the stage for rebuilding, and industry reporting says phased construction began earlier this year with work expected to continue for up to about two years.
Looking ahead
Once complete, the revamped Harbor Island West Marina is intended to pair upgraded boater services with more inviting public waterfront access, from the expanded promenade to the observation deck, while modernizing infrastructure regulators had flagged for attention. Developers say the overhaul is meant to position the western tip of Harbor Island as a service-rich stop for San Diego boaters and visitors over the coming seasons.
