Marina, the town that’s still being built,the honest version.
Marina sits right on Monterey Bay, a short drive up Highway 1 from Monterey. It has big open beaches and dunes, a university next door, and something the rest of the Peninsula almost never has: whole new neighborhoods going up on land that used to be Fort Ord.
If you’re looking at Marina homes for sale, here’s what I’d tell a friend first: how the town is laid out, what’s being built and by whom, and the things to check before you buy, from special taxes to the wind.
Why buyers look at Marina
People usually come to Marina for one of four reasons. Often it’s all four.
- New homes, which are rare hereA lot of the brand-new neighborhoods near the Monterey Peninsula are going up in and around Marina, on the former Fort Ord. If you want a new house rather than a remodel, this is where to look first.
- Beach and open spaceMarina State Beach and its dunes, nearly 1,000 acres and four miles of beach at Fort Ord Dunes State Park, the Fort Ord National Monument’s trails, and the coastal rec trail running through town.
- Its own water districtMarina is served by Marina Coast Water District, not Cal Am. On much of the Peninsula, a state order has limited new Cal Am hookups for years.
- Easy reachHighway 1 gets you to Monterey and the Peninsula, Cal State Monterey Bay is next door, Salinas is over the hill, and Marina even has its own municipal airport.
Old Marina, new Marina, and the open land
Highway 1 splits the town. The older neighborhoods sit mostly along Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard. The new ones are going up on the former Fort Ord side, and the dunes and beach run along the bay.
Central Marina & downtown
Marina’s original neighborhoods around Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard: mostly older single-family homes, everyday shopping, and the downtown the city has a 20-year plan to remake.
City of Marina · mostly resaleNorth Marina
Established streets along the north end of Del Monte Boulevard, with Marina Station now filling in the old Armstrong Ranch land next door, one phase at a time.
City of Marina · resale and newEast of Highway 1
Where the new Marina is being built. The Dunes and Sea Haven are here, along with CSUMB, the VA clinic, and the regional shopping at The Dunes, with the Fort Ord National Monument out past them.
City of Marina · mostly newThe coast & open land
Marina State Beach at the end of Reservation Road, with its dunes boardwalk and hang gliders, and Fort Ord Dunes State Park to the south. Most of it is public land, so the open feeling isn’t going anywhere.
State parks and public landWhat’s being built in and around Marina
Here’s a quick look at each of the big projects. I’ve written a fuller guide to each one covering who’s building it, what’s finished, what’s still coming, and what I’d check before buying.
The Dunes on Monterey Bay
A 330-acre neighborhood east of Highway 1 with shops, a theater, hotels, and a VA clinic, plus about 1,237 homes planned and more than 530 already built. The four neighborhoods selling now range from rooftop-deck townhomes to homes of more than 4,000 square feet.
Why people choose it: the most walkable spot in Marina, with Target, Trader Joe’s and a movie theater down the street, and Highway 1 right at the edge.
Sea Haven
The master-planned neighborhood once called Marina Heights, planned for 1,050 homes on 248 acres near the Fort Ord National Monument. It has a residents’ clubhouse and neighborhood parks, and the final phase is in city review now.
Why people choose it: newer single-family homes with a park a short walk from every homesite, a residents’ clubhouse and pool, and Fort Ord trails nearby.
Marina Station
About 1,360 homes planned on 320 acres of the old Armstrong Ranch in north Marina, from cottages and townhomes to apartments, with roughly 20% of the homes affordable. Homes were on sale by spring 2026, and the full build-out is expected to take 10 to 12 years.
Why people choose it: the newest homes in Marina, from townhomes to larger houses, in a north Marina spot with easy roads to Highway 1 and Salinas.
East Garrison
A master-planned community on the former Fort Ord, off Reservation Road. It has a Marina mailing address, but it’s governed by Monterey County and its own community services district, not the City of Marina. Its town center was approved in 2024 but isn’t built yet.
Why people choose it: often sunnier and a bit warmer than coastal Marina, with hillside views and Fort Ord National Monument trails just down the road.
Also on the horizon
These aren’t neighborhoods you can buy into yet, but they’ll shape what Marina feels like over the next decade.
A real downtown
In 2024 the city adopted a 20-year plan for a walkable downtown along Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard, with room for up to 2,904 homes at full build-out. In 2026 the council chose a roundabout for the Reservation and Del Monte intersection.
The Promenade at The Dunes
The walkable 10th Street strip is finally filling in. Trader Joe’s opened in late 2024, and El Charrito and Lalla Grill opened in 2026 near The Brass Tap and the movie theater.
Cypress Knolls
188 acres of old Fort Ord housing near Marina High School. The city is working on cleanup first, and no developer or housing plan has been chosen yet.
Camping at Fort Ord Dunes
State Parks began building a 98-site campground at Fort Ord Dunes State Park in summer 2025, a project expected to take about two years. The beach and most trails stay open during construction.
What to know before buying in Marina
Most of this comes with buying new construction anywhere. Some of it is specific to Marina. All of it is easier to plan for up front than to find out about in escrow.
Special taxes (Mello-Roos)
Many newer neighborhoods carry a special tax on top of regular property tax. The Dunes is in city Community Facilities Districts, the city began forming one for Marina Station in 2026, and East Garrison has its own county district. Part of the tax can last for good.
My advice: get the exact special-tax amount for the specific lot, not a community average, and ask which part (if any) can be paid off.
HOA dues and what they cover
Most new neighborhoods have an HOA. At Sky House in The Dunes, for example, Shea’s site listed dues of $177 to $208 a month as of October 2026. Between the HOA and the special tax, it isn’t always obvious who maintains what.
My advice: read the HOA budget, the CC&Rs, and the rental rules, and make sure you know what the HOA pays for versus the special tax.
Water: a real advantage
Marina Coast Water District serves Marina, and its main source is groundwater from the Monterey Subbasin. On much of the Peninsula, Cal Am has been under a state order limiting new connections (the State Water Board is weighing changes this fall). That difference matters if you’re planning an ADU or an addition.
My advice: if you’re planning to add on, check with the water district before you buy, not after.
Wind, fog and sand
Marina faces the open bay with no headland to shelter it. Afternoons can be breezy and cool, fog comes and goes, and sand and salt air are part of life near the dunes.
My advice: visit on a summer afternoon, sit on the deck or patio you’re paying for, and look at how the outside of older homes nearby has held up.
New home or resale?
When you buy from a builder, you sign the builder’s contract, and the incentives are often tied to the builder’s lender. Resale homes in the same neighborhoods can come with finished yards and upgrades already done.
My advice: bring your own agent, or register them, on your first visit to a sales office, and get an independent inspection even on a brand-new home.
Construction next door
The big projects are built in phases over years. Marina Station expects 10 to 12 years to finish, The Dunes still has later phases, and Sea Haven’s final phase is in city review. At The Dunes, homes and businesses share the same streets.
My advice: ask the sales office for the phasing map, and find out what’s planned for the empty lot behind the home you love.
The dunes move
The dunes along southern Monterey Bay are eroding, and studies have measured the shoreline at Marina State Beach retreating about five feet a year in some periods. Most Marina homes sit east of Highway 1, well back from the dunes, but not every one does.
My advice: for anything near the dunes, look at the coastal hazard maps and the city’s coastal rules before you write an offer.
The desal plant question
Cal Am’s proposed desalination plant would draw seawater through wells on the old sand-mining site on the Marina coast. It got a conditional Coastal Commission approval in 2022 and a state lands lease in 2026, but other approvals are still unresolved. The City of Marina denied its local coastal permit, and Cal Am appealed to the state.
My advice: the water would go to Cal Am’s Peninsula customers, not Marina’s, but if you’re buying near the coast in north Marina, keep an eye on it.
City, county, and schools
A Marina mailing address doesn’t always mean the City of Marina. East Garrison is unincorporated Monterey County, governed by the county and its own community services district, so different rules, permits and taxes apply there (my East Garrison guide has the details). Marina’s public schools are part of Monterey Peninsula Unified.
My advice: we’ll confirm who has jurisdiction and which schools are assigned to the specific address before you’re locked in.
Rules change, so we’ll confirm current requirements with the City of Marina or Monterey County for any home you’re serious about, including short-term rental rules. Builder pricing, incentives and HOA dues change often. Ask me for current pricing.
Seeing Marina homes before they hit the market
Resale homes in Marina’s newer neighborhoods can go fast. Compass is now part of the same family as Coldwell Banker, Sotheby’s International Realty, Corcoran and more, so I can see coming-soon listings from those brokerages too.
Want the local market in plain English once a month? Get The Balog Report.
Marina homes for sale right now
The live listings are just below. If one catches your eye, ask me which neighborhood and phase it’s in, what the special taxes and HOA add up to, and what’s planned next door.
Weighing Marina against the rest of the bay? Compare the areas I cover.
Thinking about Marina? Let’s talk it through.
Tell me what you’re picturing, whether that’s a new home at The Dunes, a resale in Sea Haven, or an older house near the beach, and I’ll tell you honestly what it takes to get there. That covers which neighborhood fits, what the special taxes and HOA really add up to, and what a fair price looks like. No pitch.
Prefer to text? 831-747-0310 · [email protected]
Marina guides:The Dunes · Sea Haven · Marina Station
Nearby: East Garrison (unincorporated Monterey County, not the City of Marina)
Selling too? Start with a no-pressure home valuation, and we’ll plan both moves together.
Looking nearby? Explore Seaside, Monterey, or Salinas. Or get The Balog Report once a month.
Jonathan Balog, Associate Broker | Compass | DRE# 01980970
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Development details, HOA dues and special taxes are summarized from public sources as of October 2026 and change often; confirm current figures with the builder, the City of Marina, or Monterey County. East Garrison is in unincorporated Monterey County, not the City of Marina. Local rules summarized here are general information, not legal advice. If your property is currently listed for sale, this is not a solicitation.