Hilltop Park’s public return came as Chula Vista work continued

Hilltop Park in Chula Vista was reported reopened to the public on Oct. 26, but the city’s slope-stabilization work was still underway. NBC 7 reported the reopening, and the city’s project page listed a welcome-back celebration for that date at 10 a.m. The public return did not mark completion of the renovation.

The exact area accessible on Oct. 26 is not specified in the city’s October update or NBC 7’s Chula Vista coverage listing. The city says the playground and dog park remained accessible during construction. Walking paths and bridges were to stay open for most of the work, with occasional short closures for construction.

In its October update, the city said it planned to adjust the construction fence at the end of the month to open half of the construction area to the public. As of Oct. 28, the city described that adjustment as a future plan, not a completed change. The stated half refers to the construction area; it does not mean the entire park had been closed.

Work was continuing on final grading, additional tree installation and the remaining turf-reinforcing mat and sod. The city said the mat and sod had been installed on three-quarters of the project site. It also reported that 28 trees had been planted at Hilltop Park to replace diseased trees, while another 28 had been purchased and provided to Public Works for planting elsewhere in the city.

The project focuses on stabilizing slopes along the park’s concrete drainage channel. The city says the channel itself was generally outside the project, except for replacing the section that washed out after an environmental permit was received. Earlier in 2026, 10News reported that the city described the work as addressing erosion, not as a project scoped to prevent flooding.

The city’s project overview gives the end of 2026 as the completion target, subject to unforeseen delays. The Oct. 26 return therefore came while work was ongoing, ahead of that target. A September city update said the gazebos would remain closed until the project was complete; because that update predates the reopening, it does not establish their status afterward.