East Garrison, California facts for kids

East Garrison is a special kind of community in Monterey County, California. It's called a "planned community" because it was designed and built from scratch. You can find it on Reservation Road, between the town of Marina and the Salinas River. This area used to be part of a military base called Fort Ord.

East Garrison is home to many families, with over 900 homes. It has lots of green spaces, including parks for dogs and a big 5-acre park called Lincoln Park with sports fields. There are also smaller parks like West Camp Park, McArthur Park, and Arts Park.

What is East Garrison?

East Garrison is a modern community that was carefully planned. It's built on land that was once part of a military base. The idea for East Garrison was approved by Monterey County in 2005. This approval allowed for many homes and other buildings to be constructed.

The project also had a special agreement to help pay for things like public facilities, homes that people could afford, and fixing up old historic buildings.

Homes and Community Features

As of early 2023, East Garrison has grown quite a bit. It now has nearly 1,000 homes and all the things needed to support them.

• About 800 homes are "market-rate," meaning they are sold at regular prices.
• Many homes are "affordable housing," which means they are priced so that people with lower or moderate incomes can live there. For example, Manzanita Place has affordable apartments.
• A new fire station helps keep everyone safe.
• There are 37 acres of parks, open spaces, and trails for everyone to enjoy.
• More affordable apartments were completed in the spring of 2023.

Future Plans for East Garrison

There are still more homes and public buildings planned for East Garrison.

• More than 300 new homes are expected to be built. These include market-rate homes, workforce homes, moderate-income homes, and more affordable apartments.
• A new library is planned, which will also have a small sheriff's office.
• A "Town Center" is being built. This will be a central area with shops and the library.
• A 1-acre park called Town Center Park will be part of the Town Center.
• Old historic buildings are being fixed up and reused. Some of these are planned to become artist studios.

Changes to Building Plans

In early 2023, the main builder, Century Communities, asked to make some changes to the plans.

• They wanted to move some affordable artist apartments to a different spot near the Town Center Park.
• They proposed a new building with these affordable apartments on top and shops on the ground floor.
• They also suggested building more homes in areas that were originally planned for other types of buildings.

Building Progress

Building a community like East Garrison takes time. The Town Center, which is a very important part of the community, faced delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• A certain amount of retail space in the Town Center was expected to be built by the time many homes were sold. All 34,000 square feet of retail space was expected to be completed by 2025.
• The plan to fix up 23 historic buildings for artists, known as the Arts Historic District, has also been moving slowly. This project is waiting for other affordable housing projects to be fully funded first.

Paying for East Garrison's Services

The roads, water pipes, drainage systems, and parks in East Garrison are paid for and maintained using special fees. These are called "Mello Roos fees."

• These fees are collected as part of the homeowners' property taxes.
• They help pay off bonds (like loans) that were taken out to build the community's infrastructure.
• There's also a special group called the East Garrison Community Services District (EGCSD). This group is in charge of maintaining the parks, drainage systems, and even helps pay for the County Sheriff's services in East Garrison.
• Homeowners can sometimes choose to pay off their special tax obligation early.

Homeowners' Associations

East Garrison also has a main Homeowners' Association (HOA) called the East Garrison Community Association. There's also a smaller HOA for the townhomes.

• HOA fees help pay for things like maintaining front yards, private roads, and the community's entry areas.
• As of 2022, typical HOA fees for a single-family home were about $125 per month.

Historic Arts District

East Garrison Historic District (former mess halls on Fort Ord military base)

A big part of the East Garrison plan is to create a Historic Arts District. This means fixing up 23 old buildings that were part of the former Fort Ord military base.

• Non-profit groups like Artspace and Arts Habitat are working to restore these buildings.
• They plan to use these buildings as affordable art studios and other creative spaces.
• Work on the Historic Arts District is expected to begin once the Artspace Affordable Rental Apartments are under construction.

East Garrison Entry Sign