Chollas Creek, long treated like a concrete drainage ditch instead of an actual creek, is about to get some of its life back.
Yesterday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced a plan to remove more than 1,300 feet of concrete along a stretch of the waterway and restore it as a naturally flowing stream. City officials say the work is meant to restore habitat and reduce flood risk for southeastern San Diego neighborhoods that have spent decades staring at channelized storm drains rather than an accessible creek. The project will also bring in native plants and a multi‑use trail for nearby residents.
Mayor Todd Gloria put it plainly on X, writing, “For too long, Chollas Creek was treated as something to build around. Today, we’re treating it as something worth restoring.” The post included photos of the hardened channel and a brief rundown of the work the city is preparing to finance and permit.
For too long, Chollas Creek was treated as something to build around. Today, we’re treating it as something worth restoring.
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) June 26, 2026
This project will replace 1,300+ feet of concrete channel with a naturally flowing creek, restore habitat and reduce flood risk. https://t.co/G66x2443z2
Project details and scope
According to city environmental filings, the project calls for removing about 2.26 acres of impermeable concrete and replacing it with a natural stone lining and native vegetation. Sections of the creek will be widened to improve habitat corridors while still carrying storm flows. As described in CEQAnet, the Federal Boulevard segment runs between SR‑94 and the I‑805/SR‑94 offramp and was cleared under a Mitigated Negative Declaration that received approval late last year.
Construction plans and costs
Contract solicitations spell out a fairly involved job, including demolishing the existing concrete, shaping and building a natural stone channel, installing maintenance ramps and adding trail and landscaping elements along Federal Boulevard. The bid advertisement lists an engineering estimate of roughly $6.5 million and identifies Groundwork San Diego as the project owner, a signal that the city and its nonprofit partners are shifting from design into procurement, according to Construction Bid Source.
Funding and timeline
City officials say they have been stacking funding this year to move long‑planned stormwater work into actual construction. A federal funding package included about $4.36 million for four stormwater projects that cover Chollas Creek drainage upgrades. According to the City of San Diego, that money is being paired with regional grants focused on the watershed. Inside San Diego reported that a SANDAG award will help pay for a Chollas Creek to Bayshore bikeway, and the city's CIP mid‑year report notes design funds set aside for S22009, the Chollas Creek Restoration at 54th Street and Euclid Avenue.
Why this matters
Chollas Creek comes with a long history of flooding and official neglect. On Jan. 22, 2024, a major storm dropped record rainfall and sent water spilling into neighborhoods along the channel, triggering emergency maintenance and giving fresh urgency to broader resilience work. Neighbors and advocates who have been pushing for a regional park and full creek restoration argue that naturalizing the channel can provide flood protection while adding trees, wildlife habitat and badly needed park access in surrounding communities, as reported by KPBS.
Permits and next steps
The Federal Boulevard segment has already cleared state‑level environmental review and includes mitigation and monitoring requirements, but crews cannot start tearing out concrete just yet. The work still depends on additional right‑of‑way agreements and construction permits. Public notices, bid solicitations and the city's budget documents show design and procurement moving forward this year, with construction expected to roll out in stages as approvals land, according to CEQAnet and the city's CIP reporting.
Who’s involved
The restoration is structured as a city‑led project that leans heavily on nonprofit and regional partners. Groundwork San Diego has been coordinating community planning in the watershed for years, and the nonprofit's public materials state that Phase 1 of the Federal Boulevard work is planned to begin in May 2026 and will naturalize about 1,400 linear feet. Local leaders describe the broader effort as a way to combine flood resilience with parks, trees and community programming in neighborhoods that historically have had some of the fewest open‑space amenities, according to Groundwork San Diego and public filings.
