Mare Island
Welcome Center is Now Open in Historic Mansion
The Mare Island Welcome Center recently
opened for information and preview home sales. Homes in two
new neighborhoods by Lennar Communities are now selling, and
two other neighborhoods will be available later this year.
Interested home buyers are invited to visit from 10 a.m.
until 5 p.m. daily at Quarters O, located at 500 Walnut
Avenue in Mare Island’s historic district.
The Welcome Center, which is located in an
historic mansion built in 1903, features displays that
explain Lennar’s vision for Mare Island. Visitors can learn
how one of the Bay Area’s most historic places is being
transformed into what promises to be one of the most
exciting residential communities in the Bay Area.
Homes are selling briskly in Mare Island’s
first two single-family home neighborhoods, Alden Place and
Gardner’s Glen. “In designing the homes, we really put an
emphasis on what we call architecture forward,” said Mark
Day of Dahlin Group Architects, designers of Alden Place.
“That’s bringing living rooms, front doors and porches
closer to the street and deemphasizing the garage doors. In
these homes, you’ll find that we’ve pushed the garages to
the back of the lot, again promoting that
pedestrian-friendly architecture at the street level.”
The neighborhoods at Mare Island offer an
eclectic mix of three- and four-bedroom single-family home
designs in Victorian, Colonial, Italianate, and Spanish
styles. Alden Place features three floor plans, ranging in
size from approximately 2,599 to 2,878 square feet.
Gardner’s Glen provides three plans, from 2,053 to 2,479
square feet.
The architecture for the homes has been carefully designed
to blend into the historic fabric of Mare Island and the
surrounding community. While the homes will have a look
reminiscent of the past, they will feature modern
conveniences such as high-speed Internet access.
Residents of Mare Island will enjoy such
amenities as a system of open spaces comprised of several
parks and the dynamic San Pablo Bay National Wildlife
Refuge. The refuge includes trails that traverse open
bay/tidal marshes, mud flats, and seasonal and managed
wetland habitats where visitors can observe the islands
natural wonders.
Recreational amenities on the island include the Mare Island
Golf Club. Established in 1892, the Mare Island Golf Club is
the oldest course west of the Mississippi. Recently expanded
to a full 18 holes, the course is designed to challenge
golfers of all abilities.
Commuters to San Francisco can take the ferry from the
nearby Vallejo terminal. A future ferry terminal on the Mare
Island waterfront is proposed.
The
Mare Island master plan calls for the restoration and
refurbishment of some 60 historic buildings, some of which
date back to the 1850s. A 47,000-square-foot museum is being
developed to display its many historic artifacts. For tours
of the island’s many historic sites, call the Mare Island
Historic Park Foundation at (707) 664-4746.
Home buyers can now pre-qualify for financing
and establish their position to become a Mare Island
homeowner. To receive e-mail updates on new releases and
pricing as the neighborhoods take shape, log onto
www.discovermareisland.com and register on the interest
list. For the latest information, call the Welcome Center at
(707) 558-9191.
To visit the Welcome Center from I-80 in Vallejo, take the
Tennessee Street exit, continue on Tennessee Street west to
the causeway, and cross the Mare Island Bridge. From the
Benicia Bridge, stay on I-780 west, which turns into Curtola
Parkway and then into Mare Island Way. Continue along the
waterfront by the ferry dock and turn left onto the causeway
and cross the bridge. Once across the bridge, follow the
signs to the Welcome Center.