The Dunes on Monterey Bay, the honest version.
The Dunes is the big mixed-use neighborhood on former Fort Ord land just east of Highway 1 in Marina. It has shops, a movie theater, hotels, and a VA clinic, and more homes go up every year. Shea Homes is the developer, and it’s also building the neighborhoods selling now.
Here’s what’s there today, what’s still coming, and what I’d check before buying.
The Dunes in a nutshell
Figures come from Shea Homes, the City of Marina and The Dunes’ June 2026 leasing brochure. Builder pricing and dues change often, so confirm current numbers with the builder.
Why people choose The Dunes
Here’s what draws people to The Dunes, and how it honestly stacks up against the rest of Marina.
Walk to just about everything
In my view, this is the most walkable neighborhood in Marina. From much of The Dunes you can walk to Target, Trader Joe’s, Best Buy, REI, Kohl’s, Old Navy and Michaels, catch a movie at Cinemark Century Marina and XD, or meet friends at The Brass Tap, Starbucks or Smashburger.
Compared with the rest: Walk Score rates Marina as a whole at 46 out of 100, which it calls car-dependent. In Sea Haven, Marina Station or East Garrison, most errands mean getting in the car. The trade-off here is more activity, and near 10th Street, more noise at night.
Highway 1 right at the edge
The Dunes sits just off Highway 1 and Imjin Parkway, so a trip to Monterey, Seaside or north toward Santa Cruz starts within a couple of minutes.
Compared with the rest: Sea Haven and East Garrison sit farther inland, so you add some surface-street driving before you reach the freeway.
The beach across the freeway
Fort Ord Dunes State Park is just across Highway 1, with about four miles of beach and the coastal rec trail.
Compared with the rest: Sea Haven and East Garrison are a longer drive to the sand.
More ways to buy in
Four Shea neighborhoods are selling, from townhomes with a ground-floor studio to homes of more than 4,600 square feet, and homes from earlier phases come up as resales.
Compared with the rest: Sea Haven’s new homes are all single-family, and Marina Station is just getting started, so The Dunes has more established choices today.
Four neighborhoods selling now, plus resale
Shea has been building at The Dunes since the mid-2010s. The current neighborhoods run from townhomes over a work studio to three-story homes with rooftop decks.
Rooftops
84 homes on 10th Street, along the Promenade. Shea lists seven floor plans of about 1,751 to 2,740 square feet with 2 to 3 bedrooms. Some have rooftop decks, and some have a ground-floor studio you can use as a shop or office.
Shea Homes · newBay House
Two-story homes built in pairs, two to a lot. Shea lists four plans of about 2,044 to 2,387 square feet with 3 to 5 bedrooms. It’s usually the most approachable price point at The Dunes.
Shea Homes · newLight House
A collection of 104 two-story detached homes, up to about 3,057 square feet with 4 bedrooms, open layouts, and rooftop decks on some plans.
Shea Homes · newSky House
The newest phase, with the biggest homes at The Dunes: about 3,481 to 4,627 square feet, 4 to 5 bedrooms, up to three levels, and rooftop decks and dual primary suites on some plans.
Shea Homes · newEarlier Dunes homes
The homes from earlier phases now come up as resales. They can be a good way to get into The Dunes with the landscaping finished and the window coverings already up.
ResaleWhat else is at The Dunes
This is what sets The Dunes apart from a typical subdivision: the everyday stuff is a walk or a short drive away.
- The PromenadeA walkable stretch of 10th Street with a village green, fire pits and a small stage. Trader Joe’s opened in November 2024, joining The Brass Tap and the movie theater, and El Charrito and Lalla Grill opened in 2026.
- Regional shoppingThe first phase brought nearly 400,000 square feet of retail, so the big errands are close.
- Hotels and the VA clinicA 106-room SpringHill Suites, a Home2 Suites, and the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic.
- The beach next doorFort Ord Dunes State Park is just across Highway 1, with four miles of beach and the coastal rec trail.
What’s finished and what’s next
The Dunes is being built in three big phases. Here’s how the developer’s June 2026 leasing brochure lays them out.
- Phase 1524 homes, the regional retail, the movie theater, the VA clinic, two hotels and parks. The brochure listed 84 multifamily, live/work and condo homes still to be finished.
- Phase 2: under way287 more single-family homes, 142 rental homes, and more than 30 acres of parks and open space. The city has also been working out how to phase in a city park at The Dunes.
- Phase 3: next284 more single-family homes and a 26-acre business park. Sales were slated to start in 2025, so ask the sales office which homesites belong to this phase and what will be built around them.
What I’d check before buying at The Dunes
None of this is a reason to pass. It’s just much easier to plan for up front.
Two kinds of monthly cost
On top of regular property tax, there’s the HOA and the city special tax, and they pay for different things.
My advice: ask for the HOA budget and the exact special-tax line for your specific lot, and add both to your monthly number before you fall in love.
Mixed use means neighbors
Homes near the Promenade share the street with restaurants and bars. Buyers there sign a disclosure about late-night noise, and in 2025 and 2026 there were noise complaints and city warnings at The Brass Tap.
My advice: if quiet evenings matter to you, look at homes a few blocks from 10th Street, and visit on a Friday night.
Building around you
With Phases 2 and 3 still going, you could have construction, trucks and dust nearby for a while.
My advice: ask for the phasing map, and find out what’s planned for every empty parcel you can see from the house.
Wind and the rooftop deck
Rooftop decks are a big draw here, and Marina is breezy, especially on summer afternoons.
My advice: go up on a model’s deck at 4 p.m. before you pay extra for one. Some people love it, and some end up using it far less than they planned.
Homes for sale in Marina right now
Resale homes at The Dunes come up in the regular Marina search. Builder inventory is on Shea’s site, and I can walk you through either one.
Want the bigger picture first? Back to my Marina guide.
Want the local market in plain English once a month? Get The Balog Report.
Thinking about The Dunes? Let’s talk it through.
I can help you compare a new Shea home with a resale, read through the HOA and special-tax numbers, and figure out which phase and street fit the way you want to live. No pitch.
Prefer to text? 831-747-0310 · [email protected]
More Marina guides:Sea Haven · Marina Station
Nearby:East Garrison (unincorporated Monterey County)
Selling too? Start with a no-pressure home valuation, and we’ll plan both moves together.
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. Information about The Dunes on Monterey Bay is summarized from Shea Homes, the City of Marina, and The Dunes leasing materials as of October 2026, and it changes often. Jonathan Balog is not affiliated with the developer or builders named on this page. Local rules summarized here are general information, not legal advice. If your property is currently listed for sale, this is not a solicitation.