VALLEJO, CA—Mare Island was the nation's first Naval shipyard on the West Coast when it was founded in 1854. Located at the confluence of the Napa River and San Francisco Bay, Mare Island continues to build on its shipyard roots as a mixed-use waterfront community, with commercial, industrial, residential, educational and cultural uses.

The developer of approximately 650 acres of the former Mare Island naval base, Lennar Mare Island, has put more than 70 historic buildings, representing more than 1.5 million square feet of historic resources, back into productive reuse. The planned community is being developed through a unique public/private partnership between the city of Vallejo and Lennar Mare Island.

Building 680, a historic property built in 1940, was, and still is, the centerpiece of Mare Island's industrial core. Constructed to support ship and submarine production, this structure stands 10 stories tall at its highest point. The 275,00-square-foot building at 1245 Nimitz Ave. is best known for its role in rebuilding the Pacific Fleet after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is one of Mare Island's largest buildings with features such as high-clearance, roll-up doors, overhead cranes, significant electrical capacity and natural light.

Kennedy Wilson has been involved with various property and asset management activities at Mare Island since 2002. The firm was named as the exclusive leasing agent for more than 1 million square feet of commercial sites and is leading leasing efforts for building 680.

“Building 680 has six doors and eight overhead cranes. It's a total turnkey space and move-in ready. We have 275,000 square feet of leasing space available there,” Donna Clark, senior managing director of Northern California properties at Kennedy Wilson. “The city of Vallejo and Lennar Mare Island continue to spur development at Mare Island and ferry services will soon be added.”

In addition to several ongoing rehabilitation efforts, construction is underway at the historic landmark Coal Sheds located along the Mare Island Strait. Plans for the project were approved by the city of Vallejo Architectural Heritage and Landmarks Commission in December 2015.

The Coal Sheds are being rehabilitated in a way that preserves its historic features important to the Island's Naval legacy. The Mare Island reuse plan calls for the structures as a mixed-use commercial complex, intended for a variety of businesses including existing users, artists, small manufacturers, food and beverage companies, and specialty retailers. The structures consist of nine sheds featuring distinctive roof trusses that form a unique shape that is instantly familiar along the Mare Island waterfront. Work on the Coal Sheds is anticipated to take more than two years to complete.

Instant Insights /

Mare Island Properties Undergo Rehab and Leasing

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