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.
Published: February, 2005
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
