The Port’s latest update underscores the scale and complexity of the waterfront redevelopment, which spans roughly 38 acres currently occupied by rental car facilities and lacking public amenities. Under the Port’s vision, Topgolf would serve as the district’s central attraction, joined by a mix of interactive food-and-entertainment experiences such as pickleball, mini-golf, tech-driven games, breweries, music concepts, and other leisure-forward operators. The redevelopment also includes approximately 10 acres of new public parks and waterfront promenades.
A Port spokesperson provided SanDiegoVille with a detailed timeline: the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Port Master Plan Amendment (PMPA) are expected to be released for public review early next year. Later in the year, staff anticipates presenting the Final EIR, the PMPA, and an Option to Lease with Topgolf to the Board of Port Commissioners. If the Board certifies the EIR and directs staff to submit the PMPA to the California Coastal Commission, the Port plans to issue a Request for Proposals for additional “eatertainment” concepts to operate alongside Topgolf.
In other words, no construction is imminent. Even under the most optimistic scenario, the Port estimates that Topgolf San Diego would not open before mid-2028, with all dates subject to change.
The lengthy timeline marks a stark contrast to early projections from 2019 through 2023, when Topgolf indicated that at least one San Diego venue could open as early as 2023. At the time, the company teased two local locations in quick succession - one on East Harbor Island and a second in Sorrento Valley, where Topgolf announced plans to demolish and redevelop the Carroll Canyon/Sorrento Canyon Golf Center into a three-level facility with more than 80 bays.
But more than three years later, no visible progress has occurred in Sorrento Valley. The property still operates as the same driving range it has for decades, with no sign of demolition, construction, or preparatory activity. In contrast to the Port’s detailed updates for the East Harbor Island site, no government agency or public-facing body has released recent information confirming that the Sorrento Valley Topgolf project remains active.
Topgolf previously stated that it was “excited by the potential to bring even more play to the San Diego community,” yet the company has offered no recent public updates on the status of either San Diego project. SanDiegoVille has reached out to Topgolf for a status update on both the downtown and Sorrento Valley projects for this story but received no response.
Now entering its tenth year of discussions, the San Diego Topgolf saga continues to highlight just how difficult it can be to build anything on the bayfront - let alone a large-scale entertainment complex requiring environmental review, Coastal Commission approval, major infrastructure upgrades, and lease negotiations involving one of the region’s most sensitive pieces of waterfront real estate.
Originally published on December 6, 2025.
