City of Marina Community Reports

This community report was written by a student from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), as part of a volunteer program at LandWatch. The purpose of this collaboration is to engage students in their local communities, and to stimulate their interest in and knowledge about local land use issues. Participants in this program research issues and attend meetings in various communities in Monterey County, reporting on important agenda items and other items of interest. Community reports are written from the student's point of view, and do not necessarily represent the official position of LandWatch Monterey County. LandWatch is committed to offer information to the public, and we are happy to make our website available for these student perspectives. Please enjoy the following community reports from the various communities of Monterey County.

The Marina Heights Development Proposal Fact Sheet

Submitted by Sondra Schreibman & David Harms

  • The proposal is provided by WATT/CHADMAR, a company experienced in planning urban development.

  • The intent of the project is to develop a portion of Fort Ord in order to integrate it into the Marina community. The development would be referred to as Marina Heights.

  • WATT/CHADMAR intend to demolish existing structures, due to economic as well as aesthetic concerns, rather than renovate the older buildings.

  • There will be a total of 950 units built.

  • 675 units will be designated single-family dwellings. 335 of these will be designated Type A. The remaining 340 will be designated Type B.

    • Type A is first time buyer housing. Lot size: 5,500 square feet. Home size: 1,800 square feet. Price: $330,000.

    • Type B is family housing. Lot size: 6,600 square feet. Home size: 2,500 square feet. Price: $390,000.

  • 85 units will be designated estate lots, Type C.

    • Type C is move-up buyer housing. Lot size: 1/2 acre. Home size: 3,500 square feet. Price: $500,000.

  • 190 units will be designated affordable housing, Type D.

    • 40 units will be rehabilitated existing housing. The size and price will vary.

    • 80 will be town homes. Home size: 1,000 square feet. Price: $160,000. Lots size will vary.

    • 70 will be duplexes. Home size: 1,400. Price: $190,000. Lot size will vary.

  • The plan creates a series of smaller districts of approximately 200 units, giving each district easy access to open space, and connects the districts by a central open space called the "Arroyo Link".

  • The army is interested in contracting 150 units for rental for a period of 3-5 years. What type of housing this will be is not known.

  • About 40 percent of the property within the boundaries of Marina Heights will be open space.

  • Open space will either be landscaped with grass and trees or re-vegetated with native plants.

  • Trails will be maintained for hiking and jogging.

  • WATT/CHADMAR will pay the city of Marina an initial sum of $20 million over a period of three years.

  • WATT/CHADMAR will also provide the city of Marina with 10% of the net profits.

  • WATT/CHADMAR project they will make a profit of $50 million.

Reaction to the Marina Heights Proposal

Though, unlike many formal documents, this proposal was fairly readable, there were a few questions left unanswered. These questions concerned the most delicate issues addressed by the proposal: affordable housing, open space management and the economic implications of handing the city's land over to a private company. Although we cannot answer these questions yet, we would like to bring them to the attention of the public along side this fact sheet.

Affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce in California; at the same time the demand for workers to fill low paid positions is rising. The planned addition of 190 affordable homes does correspond with guidelines for affordable development set by the city of Marina, but the true affordability of these houses is questionable. The plan predicts that people such as "those within the public safety department, school teachers, (and) medical support staff such as nurses" will benefit from the affordable housing made available. The plan makes no mention of the many local farm, food service and retail workers in the area. Additionally, we were unable to ascertain whether any of the 150 units the army is to be allocated were part of the 190 units designated as affordable housing.

In regards to open space, we were glad to hear that the proposal considers open space an important factor in any successful community. For the most part the plan seemed well intended and well handled, but questions arose with the mention of lawn and recreation areas. Though recreation is important to community, large lawns are difficult to maintain and often require the removal of diverse plant communities for installation as well as the application of dangerous chemicals in order to maintain homogeny. As an ecologically minded citizen the author would like to caution against over use of lawns in open space and recreational areas.

Finally, we'd like to consider the fiscal impact of this proposal on the city of Marina. The company professes to have a competent and professional record in dealing with such transactions. To accept the services of such a company would be the easiest and most convenient way to deal with the new development; still we must inquire as to whether the taxpayers would be given the best deal by this proposed deal.

 

You can contact Sondra Schreibman at: Sondra_Schreibman@monterey.edu
You can contact David Harms at: David_Harms@monterey.edu 

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