CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — The future of the Chula Vista Bayfront's proposed Pangea sports and entertainment district remains uncertain, but developers now have more time to make it happen.
The Port of San Diego granted developers Divaris Real Estate a two-year extension on their exclusive negotiations agreement (ENA) after the company asked for more time on Tuesday.
The Port of San Diego said this extension gives Divaris time to focus on planning, refining the proposal, working with labor unions, conducting public outreach, and — most importantly — securing a tennis agreement with a potential pro player.
Renderings show what Pangea could look like on the Chula Vista Bayfront, not far from the Gaylord Pacific Resort. The multi-billion-dollar proposal would bring a sports and entertainment district to the South Bay, anchored in part by a tennis facility and academy.
In the initial proposal from 2025, developers said they would try to secure an agreement with an elite athlete within six months. That agreement has not yet been reached.
Divaris addressed the delay in a written statement.
"We are well down the road on the tennis anchor and are hopeful that it will be further formulated and finalized over the next six months or so," Divaris said.
The prospect of a marquee pro player serving as the face of a tennis facility has generated excitement in San Diego's local tennis community — along with some questions.
Ryan Redondo, CEO of Youth Tennis San Diego and the Barnes Tennis Center, said he hopes the chosen athlete will be someone local kids can look up to.
"My hope is that it's an American player so that our local and our American kids here can aspire and have somebody that they can connect to," Redondo said.
Redondo also raised questions about how the project could affect San Diego's broader tennis ecosystem.
"How is a nonprofit like Youth Tennis San Diego and others here in San Diego going to be able to use this as an additional platform, which professional tennis certainly does. Whenever you can bring in the best in the world, it just makes kids dream more," Redondo said.
Redondo said he hopes he and other local tennis leaders will one day be able to meet with Divaris to learn more and help contribute to Pangea's tennis program.
Jeff Greenwald, president of the San Diego District Tennis Association and a board member of USTA Southern California, echoed that sentiment, while also acknowledging how early in the planning phase Pangaea is.
"We're excited, and we wish the developers absolutely the best of success in finding their face or name for the facility and actually getting the approval process and having this built. We're here to help in any way possible," Greenwald said.
Greenwald said the potential addition of 34 courts could be a significant boost for the sport in the region.
"We find gaps, for example, between the ages of 18 and 31. You can see studies that say that tennis is dying and pickleball is exploding. The reality is that to grow the game of tennis, we need more courts. So the prospect of having 34 more courts built down in San Diego is absolutely massive," Greenwald said.
