Commercial Real Estate in East Garrison: The Specific Plan, Town Center and Arts District

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

East Garrison is a planned community on former Fort Ord land off Reservation Road, between Davis and Blanco Roads, east of Marina. Its commercial potential is concentrated in one place, the Town Center, along with historic Army buildings set aside for an Arts District. Everything here runs through a single Monterey County specific plan and its development agreement, and part of that plan is being amended right now. Confirm the parcel’s current entitlements, map and amendment status with the County before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

East Garrison is unincorporated and has no city government, even though its mailing address is Marina. The County’s East Garrison project page records the Board of Supervisors approvals of October 4, 2005: Resolution 05-264 certified the final subsequent EIR, 05-267 approved the Combined Development Permit, and 05-268 allocated water. The state notice of determination (SCH 2003081086) lists the same approval date, 244 acres and two assessor parcels.

Three other bodies matter for a buyer or tenant:

East Garrison Community Services District. LAFCO Resolution 05-20 created the district on October 20, 2005, and the County has deeded it parks, open space and a detention basin. An urban services agreement between the County and the district, amended in 2013 and 2017, sets who maintains what.
Public financing authority and Mello-Roos district. A community facilities district was formed in 2006, a special tax was levied by Ordinance 05035, and the tax was amended by Ordinance 5224 in 2013. Series 2016 and 2019 bonds are listed.
Marina Coast Water District. The district adopted the project’s water supply assessment in 2004 and issued will-serve letters in 2006 and 2011.

East Garrison zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

The area is zoned under Title 21, Chapter 21.41, the Specific Plan (SP) district. Uses are whatever the specific plan and development agreement provide, the plan prevails over conflicting Title 21 rules, and Title 21 fills any gaps. The table below is built from the County’s 2005 Planning Commission staff report.

Plan area	Intended uses	Notes
Town Center	Commercial and civic space with housing above and beside it	Up to 75,000 sq ft of commercial and civic space and 89 homes, up to 49 of them live/work, under the 2005 approval
Arts District	Artist studios and cultural uses in reused historic Army buildings	Up to 100,000 sq ft of reused historic structures
Institutional and public sites	Library, fire station, sheriff’s field office	About 11,000 sq ft of institutional uses
Residential neighborhoods (three)	Homes, carriage units, parks	Commercial generally limited to what the plan allows, such as home occupations

There is no industrial land in the plan. The 2005 approval also bundled use permits for "a range of commercial uses," tree removal, signs and development on slopes over 30%, so a later tenant’s use may already be covered, or may not.

The Town Center and the pending amendment

The Town Center is the part of East Garrison still in flux. The County’s PLN030204-AMD2 page describes a pending amendment, resubmitted September 8, 2023 and listed as in process, that would:

revise the land use description for the Town Center and the Phase 3 Arts District and change permitted uses in the plan’s Table 3.8;
move the Phase 3 affordable Artspace units into the Town Center, above commercial space;
allow 254 two- and three-story compact homes and rowhouses in the Town Center;
amend streets, bike routes, parking and the Pattern Book; and
add a vesting tentative map for Town Center, Phase 2 and Phase 3 parcels.

Until the County acts, the 2005 plan and its later recorded agreements control. An investor should not assume the 75,000 square foot commercial figure survives the amendment, or that a parcel’s current use list will stay the same. Ask the County planner for the latest draft of Table 3.8 and any hearing schedule.

Fort Ord history, the Arts District and lodging

Historic buildings. The Arts District relies on reusing Army-era structures. The County’s 2005 approvals went through the Historic Resources Review Board in November 2004, and agreements with Artspace, CHISPA and MidPen Housing were signed in January 2007. Any reuse of a historic building will involve preservation review and building code upgrades.

Water. The 2005 staff report recommended a 470 acre-foot-per-year potable water allocation from the County’s Fort Ord supply for the whole project. Commercial users need capacity under that allocation and a Marina Coast Water District connection.

Base reuse layers. Property moved by quitclaim deeds from the Army to the Fort Ord Reuse Authority and then to the County Redevelopment Agency and the master developer in 2007. Read the deed chain for environmental and munitions-related covenants.

Airport review. The County’s Airport Land Use Commission reviewed the project in October 2004, so check whether any airport-related conditions apply to a commercial parcel.

Lodging tax. The County’s 10.5% transient occupancy tax applies to stays of 30 days or less in unincorporated areas.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Transfer tax. Monterey County Code Chapter 5.32 sets the documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of consideration. There is no city layer.

Special taxes. Parcels within the Mello-Roos district carry a special tax lien recorded in February 2007. Get the current special tax amount and any CSD charges from the tax bill and the district before pricing a lease or purchase.

Business license. Unincorporated businesses deal with the County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s business license office.

Property tax. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in East Garrison

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Identify the parcel’s plan area and its permitted uses in Table 3.8 of the specific plan.
Check the status of PLN030204-AMD2 and whether it would change your parcel.
Read the development agreement, conditions of approval and any recorded CC&Rs.
Get Mello-Roos special tax and CSD assessment figures in writing.
Confirm a Marina Coast Water District will-serve for the planned use.
For historic buildings, scope preservation review and code upgrade costs early.

Questions people ask

Is East Garrison part of Marina?

No. It is unincorporated Monterey County with a Marina mailing address, so County zoning applies.

How much commercial space does the plan allow?

The 2005 approval allows up to 75,000 square feet of commercial and civic space in the Town Center, but a pending amendment would rework the Town Center.

What is changing in the Town Center?

The pending amendment would relocate affordable Artspace units above Town Center commercial space and add 254 compact homes and rowhouses.

What zoning applies?

The Specific Plan (SP) district under Title 21, Chapter 21.41, where the specific plan and development agreement set the uses.

Who maintains the streets and parks?

The East Garrison Community Services District, created in 2005, under an urban services agreement with the County.

Are there extra taxes on East Garrison property?

Yes. A Mello-Roos community facilities district levies a special tax, on top of regular property tax.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in East Garrison?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in East Garrison.

Sources & notes

Note: Commercial and Town Center figures come from the 2005 staff report and may have been changed by later approvals we did not open. We did not read the specific plan, the development agreement or Table 3.8. The AMD2 amendment is pending, not approved.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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