NOT AN ORDINARY PROJECT
East Garrison groundbreaking takes on a party atmosphere

By Clara Moskowitz
Monterey Herald
April 10, 2007

Instead of digging earth with a gold shovel or cutting through a red ribbon, 30 artists and advocates planted wooden stakes with colorful house- shaped paintings to mark the official groundbreaking of the East Garrison housing project on Monday.

More than 300 people attended the festivities, which included speeches, food and live music. The house paintings symbolized the blend of arts and living that is the goal for the 240-acre planned community, set to open in 2009 on the site of the former Army base at Fort Ord.

The development will include a special district for artists called Arts Habitat.



“When you build a community like this, you’re really building a whole new city from the ground up,” said County Administrative Officer Lew Bauman. “It’s one of the largest and most innovative projects to be built in this county.”

Although official groundbreaking took place Monday, construction began in February. The project was approved in 1995 and has been in the planning stages since. In January, the county handed over 635 acres to a development consortium.

In addition to 1,400 homes, the East Garrison village will have its own town center, parks, library, fire and police stations. Plans include space for restaurants, shops and offices. An extensive network of bike trails and sports facilities are also in the works.

A section of East Garrison will be devoted to Arts Habitat, with 65 units of residential and studio space, and another 100,000 square feet of galleries, studios, performance and rehearsal rooms.

This area needs a place for artists to work and create,” said Julie Cavassa, a spokeswoman for the project. “Arts Habitat will be one of the draws of East Garrison. The larger community really loves this project. People say to me, ‘I want to have a house there, I want a business there.’”

One person who’s not thrilled by the project is Rudy Rosales, 61, head of cultural resources for the Ohlone-Coastanoan Esselen Nation. Rosales went to the groundbreaking to protest, carrying a sign that read, “Development unfair to local Native Americans.”

Rosales said he knows he cannot stop the project from going forward, though he wishes the land would be left undeveloped. His aim, he said, is to be allowed to walk through the East Garrison lands and point out sites sacred to local Native Americans so they can be protected.

“We are the indigenous people of this area, and we want to be involved,” he said. “We want to save any objects they find out there, like arrowheads or even human remains. We’re just here to protect our heritage.”

Rosales’ protest may have helped accomplish that goal. Keith McCoy, vice president of Urban Community Partners, one of the developers of East Garrison, signed a promise to meet with Rosales this week to discuss a contract agreeing to consult with the Ohlone- Coastanoan Esselen Nation about its interests in the project.

Vincent Guarino, a spokesman for the East Garrison project, says there are no Native American sacred sites on the project’s land, and in 12 years, no artifacts have been found.

“If something had been found, it would be preserved and recognized,” he said. “The process here was very inclusive. They brought in everyone together, including Native Americans, to come up with a community to satisfy everyone’s needs.”

Clara Moskowitz can be reached at clara.moskowitz@gmail.com