After the closure of Fort Ord in 1994, Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) was not the only organization to step in and fill the void. The shutdown left thousands of acres of prime California real estate available in an area suddenly starved of the economic activity once provided by the military base.
The subsequent rush to claim and develop the land was later described as a “modern-day Oklahoma land rush.” To manage this transition, the California legislature created the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA), chaired for 23 years by Micheal. A. Houlemard Jr. FORA oversaw the redevelopment process, including transferring land to CSUMB. This transformation was what founding faculty member Qun Wang recalls as “beating swords into plowshares,” as the former military base evolved into a modern university.
FORA’s Base Reuse Plan, spanning over 500 pages, outlined a vision for a vibrant campus town and a dynamic addition to California’s tech sector. The plan aimed to “capture some of the million square feet of demand for R&D from Silicon Valley,” envisioning CSUMB as a hub for academic and technological growth.
A key element of this intended development was the creation of new academic institutions to collaborate with the growing industry. Among these were the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA) and the UC Monterey Bay Education, Science and Technology Center (MBEST), both of which remain active today. In turn, the rest of the campus would begin developing around Building 491, still small and weather-beaten.
Part of the reason Building 491 remains such an anomaly compared to the rest of campus is that it is not actually part of CSUMB. Instead, the small triangle of land formed by the 8th Street cutoff where Building 491 sits is owned by Golden Gate University, a small private business college in San Francisco, as part of the same program that created MIRA. “In addition, land and/ or facilities have been subject to public benefit conveyance for Golden Gate University and the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD),” describes the 1997 Base Reuse Plan.
Golden Gate University would be one of many organizations to capitalize on the growth in Seaside to “provide a community to support the emerging CSUMB campus.”
FORA’s 1997 Base Reuse Plan describes an eco-conscious, modern campus town with walkable streets, accessible shopping and heavy infrastructure investment. CSUMB would be the CSU System’s newest model of a “21st Century magnet campus.” FORA projected the population of CSUMB itself to reach nearly 25,000 students, a little under four times the current enrollment.
CSUMB grew, but more slowly than they hoped. The broader development around the campus, however, failed to keep up. Seaside did not transform into the new Silicon Valley, nor a bustling college town to rival Fort Ord.
A memo released one year later revealed serious problems with the project. Unexploded ordnance still in the soil from years of target practice at the base would remain a constant threat, and the demolition of buildings would prove continuously difficult because of environmental concerns.
Worse, finding a reliable water supply would become a serious problem. No source of water could be found without prohibitive environmental impact, a far cry from their intention of a city that could “integrate movement and use of land by both native plant and animal species and people.”
With the Base Reuse Plan frozen, Building 491 would escape destruction. Golden Gate University would never develop their parcel, and they would begin leasing the land to CSUMB.
However, recent development in Seaside has picked up momentum, with the city accepting bids for the Campus Town project, located across Lightfighter Drive from the university.
“After many years of weak economic growth, development in the vicinity of the campus is currently expanding. Several projects have been completed, others are under construction and more are planned,” according to CSUMB’s 2022 Master Planning Document. The same document mentions the university’s interest “in potentially acquiring [the Golden Gate Parcel] at some point in the future.”
For now, Building 491 remains in good condition, with no immediate plans for replacement. As CSUMB continues to evolve its story–and that of Building 491–serves as a testament to resilience, adaptation and the ever-changing landscape of Fort Ord’s legacy.