Bair Island Re-construction to Pave Way for Townhouse Development

Starting Apr. 1, businesses and residents along Bair Island Road will use a detour road to reach their destination. The eight-month re-construction project will include a replacement of much of their water system and road re-construction that will feature a separated bicycle path, according to developer spokesperson Peter Dunne.

The construction comes as a precursor to the 231-townhomes project, known as 1 Marina, formerly known as Peninsula Park. The 33-acre lot will primarily have two to three-story buildings with 2.5 acres for commercial use, possibly a hotel, according to the city’s Senior Planner Blake Lyon. He said the applicant Glenborough-Pauls, LLC, has provided the permits for the residential portion, but not for the commercial component.

Developers submitted the application in its first form back in 2002 under the name “Marina Shores Village.” It went through a second round in 2006 as Peninsula Park, and its third and final version as “1 Marina,” when developers submitted the development agreement in Sept. 2010, according to Lyon.

“The roads are in pretty bad shape,” Dunne said. “So developers agreed to reconstruct the road to serve not only the project but the entire area.”

The addition of a detour road will result in “virtually no impact to the surrounding community,” Dunne said. There will be alternative driveways for businesses like and Bayport Plaza so patrons can still access them. Residents in the surrounding areas including Irvine Apartments and the Villa complex will also have alternative entrances and exits.

“We’re trying to minimize disruption and we’re committed to keeping the roadway open,” Dunne said.

Because the area includes some public lands, the developer will be using Mell0-Roos bonds to fund the construction project.

“This is a very straightforward technique that will not cost the city anyting,” said Finance Director Brian Ponty. “The developer will reimburse the city for my time plus the city attorney’s time.”

Business owners and managers around the area are meeting with the developer engineers and city staff today to view more detailed plans.

Boardwalk Auto Manager Jamie Kopf said he was withholding any opinion, but said he was eager to see the plans.

“This’ll be great because this project has been under consideration for 15 years,” Kopf said.