Marina’s downtown plan envisions changes in density, traffic flow and landscaping.

The City of Marina is known for its coastal access, diverse community and an array of international food options, but it’s missing a well-defined downtown area.

For decades, city officials have been working on a downtown specific plan hoping to change that. The last attempt started in 2017 and stalled because of Covid-19. Now that plan is advancing, and an environmental impact report opened on April 9 for public review, with a comment period until May 24. (Mayor Bruce Delgado says residents often provide input on projects after approval, “but by then, there’s really no going back.” He’s hopeful about engagement on this.)

The 320-acre downtown area includes Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard, two arterial roads to get in and out of Marina. Many stores, restaurants and parking lots are in strip-mall configuration. Both streets are “a suburban environment incompatible with a traditional downtown,” the plan states. The plan calls for roundabouts and a reduction from four lanes to two on Del Monte, and evaluating whether that’s feasible on Reservation, to create “more inviting streetscapes.”

The vision is to provide a walkable downtown where people can gather. It includes wider sidewalks, mixed-use buildings, higher-density housing (building taller, to three or four stories, could add 2,904 housing units in its core), and buildings instead of parking lots at the front edge of lots. It also calls for extending Del Monte to 2nd Street and connecting The Dunes neighborhood to downtown.

City Councilmember Kathy Biala notes the city is growing, and it has to adapt – Marina is no longer a “slow-growth, small town,” she says.