Martinez looking to revitalize marina with new $500 million waterfront plan

"MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- The City of Martinez is hoping to make it a city that is a destination for the entire Bay Area. "Everyone has said for years that the Martinez Marina and our waterfront is a jewel of the East Bay. But honestly, when you go down there, it is so underutilized," says Mayor Brianne Zorn. To fix that, a plan is underway to transform the waterfront with a proposed hotel, amphitheater, event center, restaurants and retail."

"The fishing pier dates back to the 1930s. The marina was largely built in the 1960s. Since then, its infrastructure, such as the seawalls, has deteriorated - with a price tag in the tens of millions of dollars to fix. Which the city says that's money they don't have. "Without an outside investor, without a private public partnership, that we are looking into right now, we really don't have the funding to do this," explains Zorn."

"Last month, the city signed an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with Tucker Sadler Architects. Now they have two years to work toward a final development agreement. Part of the plan is to drive economic activity by creating synergy between the marina and downtown. "We are going to be able to create these nodes of activities. If there is a festival that is happening at the waterfront, there is going to be an aspect of it that'll be in downtown. That way we complement one another with the activities that are taking place," says Gregory Mueller, the CEO of Tucker Sadler Architects."

Martinez plans a waterfront transformation that adds a hotel, amphitheater, event center, restaurants and retail to make the marina a Bay Area destination. The fishing pier dates to the 1930s and the marina to the 1960s; seawalls and other infrastructure have deteriorated and need tens of millions of dollars in repairs. The city lacks the necessary funding and is pursuing a private-public partnership. The city signed an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with Tucker Sadler Architects, giving two years to reach a development agreement. The project aims to drive economic activity by linking waterfront events with downtown commerce and reduce municipal subsidies.

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