KEY POINTS
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The San Diego Unified Port District board will vote April 21 on whether to advance a $256 million, 85,000-square-foot Navy SEAL Museum proposed for a 1-acre waterfront site in downtown San Diego.
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Hensel Phelps is overseeing design, entitlement and construction, with ZGF Architects designing the angular, perforated-metal-skin structure, and Gallagher & Associates handling exhibit design.
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Developers are targeting an early 2029 construction start following an 18-to-24-month environmental review.
A $256 million, four-story Navy SEAL Museum is being proposed for a 1-acre waterfront site in downtown San Diego, with developers targeting a 2029 construction start and a 2031 opening, the San Diego Tribune reported.
The Board of Port Commissioners for the San Diego Unified Port District will consider the proposal at its April 21, 2026, meeting, when staff will consider launching the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process.
While not a formal go-ahead for the project, CEQA requires state and local agencies to identify a proposed project's potential environmental impacts and reduce them to the extent feasible before construction can proceed. Launching the environmental review process is a step toward moving the development deal forward.
Who's Building It
The project is a joint effort between Navy SEAL Museum San Diego and Hensel Phelps Development. Hensel Phelps is acting as fee developer, overseeing design, entitlement, construction and completion.
The nonprofit UDT-SEAL Museum Association Inc., the parent of the original National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, will own, operate and hold the lease with the port.
ZGF Architects designed the facility. Gallagher & Associates, the same firm behind the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, is handling exhibit and gallery design.
What are Developer's Planning
The 85,000-square-foot museum, still in the planning stage, would sit at 1220 Pacific Highway, at Lane Field Park along Harbor Drive. The nonresidential project also includes a 0.3-acre park adjacent to the Marriott SpringHill Suites-Residence Inn.
Renderings show an angular, ship-shaped structure with a perforated blue metal skin and a 65-foot-tall central atrium.
The building includes seven galleries, a 2,500-square-foot theater, educational spaces, a café, a retail store, a virtual reality experience, and an event terrace overlooking San Diego Bay.
A shallow reflecting pool installation at the Harbor Drive entrance is expected to visually connect the building to the bay.
Site History and Path Forward
The site became available after the Navy exited its lease at 1220 Pacific Highway in September 2023, returning control of the 3.4-acre property to the port.
Lane Field hotel developers initially held rights to propose a new use but shifted from a hotel and mixed-use concept to the museum plan, citing financial constraints in the hospitality sector.
In December, the port entered a two-year exclusive negotiating agreement with Navy SEAL Museum San Diego and Hensel Phelps.
The environmental review is expected to take 18 to 24 months. If the project clears those hurdles, a final development deal requiring board approval would follow.
A rendering of the Navy Seal Museum in San Diego. The 85,000-square-foot museum would be built at 1220 Pacific Highway, at Lane Field Park along Harbor Drive. Image: ZGF Architects
Financing and Revenue Projections
The project will be privately financed, with the museum association soliciting most of the $256 million from donors. Hensel Phelps will assist in securing debt financing if needed.
The nonprofit museum association collected $8.6 million in donor contributions in 2024 and ended the year with $24.5 million in assets. It has also set aside $1 million to cover environmental review expenses.
A financial model shared with the San Diego Union-Tribune projects 850,000 annual visitors by year three, $35.9 million in gross revenue and $9.4 million in net income by year 10.
The business plan would set aside 10 percent of gross revenue for Naval Special Warfare families, veterans and local programs, pending the organization's final debt position.
What's Next
The April 21 board vote is the first public hurdle. If commissioners green-light the CEQA environmental review, the 18-to-24-month assessment must be accepted before the port and developers can negotiate a final development deal.
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