When conceived as a viable project to inhabit the eastern portion of the retired Fort Ord, East Garrison would become a vibrant, compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-income, mixed-use, new urban village, so the proposal went. A 244-acre parcel of the former Fort Ord, a decommissioned Army base in Monterey County, California went through an 18-month-long, public process producing consensus for a Specific Plan and a Pattern Book. To create much-needed workforce housing in Monterey County, the plan includes 1,400 residential units and up to 70 accessory units, all affordable by design. In addition, 75,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, 11,000 sq. ft. of institutional uses, 100,000 sq. ft. of artist studios, and approximately 50 acres of open space, parks, and natural areas were promised to contribute multidimensionality, economic vitality and cultural life to the town.
The site is surrounded by more than 20,000 acres of permanent open space. An extensive trail system and bicycle network will provide residents with recreational access to this natural habitat. The East Garrison Specific Plan also called for renovation and adaptive reuse of abandoned, historically significant buildings on the site to create live/work spaces for artists in an Arts District. Drawing on the most respected community patterns, architectural, and landscape precedents in historic towns and settlements throughout the region, the East Garrison plan will eventually come to fruition in some form and in a time when the market provides greater opportunity for growth.