East Garrison Project StartsBack to News

FORT ORD – Hailed as a model development that will provide much-needed housing in a walkable setting, the East Garrison project at Fort Ord drew hundreds of people Monday to celebrate the start of its construction.

The $145 million project, which will overlook the Salinas River from the bluffs above Reservation and Garrison roads, is slated to include about 1,400 housing units, a town center and an arts district.

“Although many developers set that goal (of building a legacy project), very few communities meet that standard,” said Barry Long, a principal with Urban Design Associates, which designed East Garrison.

Michael Houlemard, executive director of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, which is overseeing the redevelopment of the former Army base, said $3 billion of infrastructure, such as sewers, roads and underground utility lines for the project, will be put in place during the next eight months.

Monterey County officials, as well as project developers, private citizens and others working on the project, spoke about the benefits they expect East Garrison to offer, calling it a model community built on principles of sustainability with walkable neighborhoods, open space and bicycle paths.

East Garrison lies along Reservation Road close to Salinas and is part of unincorporated Monterey County. It represents an extraordinary partnership between the public and private sector and is the culmination of nearly 16 years of planning, compromise and patience, said Edith Johnsen, a former Monterey County supervisor who spoke on behalf of Supervisor Jerry Smith, who has taken a medical absence from official duties. “If you know how happy I am, you can’t possibly project what all this means,”Johnsen said.

The project’s developers, East Garrison Partners I, have proposed to build the project in three phases, the first two composed of residential units and the last phase including the arts district and artists’ studios.

Chris Fitz, executive director of LandWatch Monterey County, an advocacy group for slow, sustainable growth, said East Garrison is one of the best developments planned for the county.

“It’s in the right place and has been done appropriately,”said Fitz, who did not attend the meeting.

Developers started grading the site Feb. 1. The first phase of model homes could be completed next year.

The development partners include Newport Beach-based William Lyon Homes and Monterey-based Urban Community Partners and Woodman Development Co.

The project shows artists are a viable part of the local economy and contribute to local culture, said Richard Mayer, a Carmel Valley sculptor and executive director of Arts Habitat, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable homes for artists. Mayer led the drive to get affordable housing and workspace for artists in East Garrison.

Calling his 16-year effort arduous, he said, “It has been very rewarding.”

East Garrison will provide about 65,000 square feet of converted Army buildings for artists’ studios, among other uses, and will have 65 spaces for artists to live and work by 2013.

The county Board of Supervisors finalized an agreement in January with several affordable housing developers who will construct 196 affordable rental units at East Garrison.

Lot sizes range from 1,500 to 5,000 square feet, and 30 percent of the units will be sold at affordable rates.

Once home construction begins, several hundred dwellings will become available for purchase each year until a full 500 acres are developed.

Salinas resident Robert Cotant said he attended the event to learn more about when homes will be available.

“This is such an interesting project,”Contant said, adding that it represents the best of controlled, measured growth.