Chula Vista Living has been closely following the progress at Hilltop Park and Eucalyptus Park Renovations for months, including a couple of video updates we’ve shared with residents along the way, and we’ll keep bringing you the latest as both projects near the finish line. So when the City sat down with Frank Carson, Director of Parks and Recreation, and Luis Schaar, Director of Engineering and City Engineer, for the first episode of Chula Vista City Cast, we knew it was worth digging into for our readers.
One of the things we love most about Chula Vista is how many beautiful parks the city gives residents to get outside, stay active, and spend time with family. Eucalyptus Park in particular has always been a favorite of mine, and I can’t wait to see the finished redesign and everything they’ve added.
Parks and Rec: More Than Green Space
The Parks and Recreation Department oversees 70 parks, nine community centers, and two aquatic facilities spread across Chula Vista’s 52 square miles, all maintained and programmed by roughly 230 hourly staff plus a full-time crew of parks personnel and park rangers.
Carson describes strong parks as part of the city’s broader public safety strategy. Active park space is linked to as much as a 17 percent drop in crime, and city-run swim lessons directly address drowning, the leading cause of death for children ages one to four and the second-leading cause of preventable death for kids under 14.
Beyond swim lessons, the department runs day camps, sports-specific camps, dance and teen programs, and senior activities, including a new “It’s Her Sports” camp funded by a National Recreation and Park Association grant to get girls active in athletics. Pickleball has also emerged as one of the fastest-growing demands citywide, with new courts and leagues being added to keep pace.
Residents can find the full lineup of programs, including the roughly 84-page summer recreation guide, at chulavistaca.gov/rec.
Hilltop Park: Restoring a Dual-Purpose Space
Hilltop Park has served a dual role since the 1970s: it’s both a public park and part of the city’s flood control system, allowing Telegraph Canyon Creek to flow safely toward the bay during heavy rain events.
The current renovation, which began in February 2025, focuses on armoring the channel’s slopes with turf-reinforcing mats beneath new sod, a system designed to hold vegetation in place during storm flows and help the park recover faster after heavy rain. The project also addresses the removal of diseased trees, which are being replanted, and the placement of riprap, or large rocks, at a channel turn where water flow needs to be slowed.
The project’s timeline was significantly affected by an unusually active rainy season. Storm impacts in September, October, and November 2025 were followed by a major rain event on December 31 that buckled existing concrete and damaged the channel’s sidewalls, prompting the city to declare an emergency and pause construction until the dry season returned in May. That stretch of storms added roughly six months to the project and triggered additional coordination with the Regional Water Quality Control Board on a formal restoration plan.
With that plan nearing final approval, the city expects Hilltop Park to be fully functional before October 2025, with only newly planted grass areas remaining off-limits while they establish.
Eucalyptus Park Renovations: A Century-Old Park Gets a Major Upgrade
At 20 acres, Eucalyptus Park is Chula Vista’s oldest park, having opened in 1927 and approaching its 100th anniversary in 2027. The current renovation represents a $17 million investment, funded through a statewide parks grant, Measure P sales tax revenue, ARPA funding, and park benefit fees.
Construction on the Eucalyptus Park Renovations began in March 2025 and will bring pickleball courts, a skate park, a bike park, an interactive splash pad, a new playground and surfacing, improved ADA access, and dedicated dog park areas to the west side of the city. The splash pad will mark the first zero-depth water feature in Western Chula Vista, running from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
The project remains on schedule for completion in December 2025.
Follow the Progress
Both Hilltop Park and Eucalyptus Park are shaping up to be major wins for Chula Vista, and Chula Vista Living will be tracking their progress every step of the way. I’ll be heading out to both sites soon to shoot video updates so you can see the renovations firsthand, from the channel work at Hilltop to the new splash pad and skate park taking shape at Eucalyptus. Once both parks are ready to reopen, we’ll have the details on the community celebration events too. Keep following Chula Vista Living on our website and across all our social media channels so you don’t miss any of it.
