The Midpoint for Mare Island

Lennar joint venture transforming shuttered naval base

The Miami-based developer has sold or leased more than 3 million sq. ft. to 70 businesses on the 5,000-acre Vallejo site. It has until 2008 to redevelop or sell about 100 former Navy buildings totaling more than 7 million sq. ft. Construction of 450 homes is expected to begin early next year.

By Thomas York

The conversion of a former nuclear submarine repair base on Mare Island in Vallejo to a major mixed-use development has reached its midpoint.

	PHOTO COURTESY OF LENNAR CORP.

Lennar Mare Island, a joint venture of Miami-based Lennar Corp. and its subsidiary, LNR Property Corp., assumed control of the 650-acres on the 5,000-acre island two years ago from the city of Vallejo in a complicated business transaction. The United States Navy closed the base in 1996.

In July 2002, Vallejo established a Mello Roos tax district to cover the cost of police, fire and other services to businesses on the island, reached by a bridge or causeway. Vallejo's goal by 2010 is to replace the 6,800 jobs lost when the base closed.

The Lennar joint venture is redeveloping or selling off more than 100 former Navy buildings totaling more than 7 million sq., and has until 2008 to do so under its contract with the city.

Lennar's long-term plan is to transform the site into one of the largest mixed-use projects in California. The SWA Group of Sausalito is the master planner for the mixed-use redevelopment project.

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Infrastructure Overhaul

Over an eight-year period, Lennar will invest more than $260 million to rebuild roads, and utilities, renovate old buildings and build new ones. The company is spending $66 million alone for the environmental clean- up of the island, which has been contracted to the local office of Denver-based CH2M Hill.

Companies that have relocated to Mare Island include area commercial builder Diaz & Sons Construction Inc., Earthquake Protection Services and Alco Iron & Metal Co., said Cliff Miller, vice president of Lennar Partners, the commercial development arm of Lennar Mare Island.

"Most of the square footage is industrial in nature and requires fairly low-intensity renovations," said Miller.

As of June, Lennar had sold or leased 3 million sq. ft. of space to more than 70 businesses.

Meanwhile, Lennar's residential arm is moving ahead with plans to build more than 1,400 homes, apartments, condos and live-work lofts to balance the demand for housing built closer to work sites.

In October, Lennar plans to sell 450 home sites to builders, with construction to begin in early 2005 and finish by year's end. The developer is now in the process of preparing 23 acres to accommodate 126 homes. The housing will replace military style barracks that were demolished.

Lennar will spend approximately $9 million on new parks and recreation facilities, including the transformation of a 4-acre Marine parade ground into sports fields. Elementary-age children will most likely attend an elementary school that will be built by the Vallejo school district. Older students will attend existing schools.

Barracks Conversion

One of the more notable projects to date has been the renovation of a 1930s-era, two-story barracks building into 36,000 sq. ft. of offices. Tenants include Caltrans, CH2M Hill and Engeo, a geotechnical-consulting firm.

Lennar hired San Francisco-based Charles F. Bloszies Architecture to draft plans for the renovation and hired San Francisco-based CCI Construction to serve as general contractor.

	One of the more notable projects to date has been the renovation of a 1930s-era, two-story barracks building into 36,000 sq. ft. of offices. Tenants include Caltrans, CH2M Hill and Engeo, a geotechnical-consulting firm.

The main challenge was to keep historic features intact, such as the Spanish tile roof, arched portico, and Depression-era tile patterns, so that Lennar could earn tax credits for the renovation, said Phil Hyndman, a project architect with Charles F. Bloszies.

Hyndman said he was able to quickly discern all of the pertinent features of the existing structure to help speed design work, thanks to detailed record keeping.

"The Navy kept good records of all their construction on microfilm, so we could see what rebar was in the walls and where foundation piles were driven."

During trips to the site, Hyndman was surprised to find a night-vision training room in the windowless attic, complete with miniature cutouts of World War II-era warships set against black walls to mimic the night sky.

The room included a "little pulpit" were sailors stood during training to improve night-sighting power. Other sailors turned cranks connected to cables to move the cutouts across the wall that served as the horizon.

Hyndman said Lennar may transform the training room into a building museum.

Charles F. Bloszies is now involved in the renovation of a sister barracks and another structure, which Lennar wants to transform into a café to serve the 2,000 people working on the island.

David Whiteside, principal at CCI, said his workers found a few surprises, including the quality of the old construction.

"It was overbuilt-that's for sure," he said. The structure featured support columns spaced 10-ft. to 12-ft. apart-something not found in most modern commercial office structures. The columns were left as is because they couldn't be moved without changing the character of the structure.

Whiteside also said he "had to be sensitive to the classic features of the building."

For example, CCI had to find similar exterior light fixtures to replace those destroyed during renovation.

"Luckily, the Navy used standard school-house-type fixtures, so our replacements looked exactly the same," he added.

The $2.5 million project, which began in Sept. 2002, was completed last summer. The offices were 80-percent leased before the renovation began.

"If you look at it now, it's clearly an office building as opposed to a barracks, but it holds that military flavor at its finest," Whiteside said.