Fort Ord Reuse Authority’s building removal

UPDATED 9/5/2018:

Major construction activity began at the Former Fort Ord Wednesday.

It marked the start of the removal of many buildings on Fort Ord, making way for projects many feel will benefit the surrounding community.

“These buildings here which have been an eyesore, they’ve been derelict for years and years,” Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio said.

The buildings are coming down to make way for the City of Seaside to develop retail space CSUMB students can take advantage of.

“Food and other services that students can easily access walking or on a bicycle,” California state senator Bill Monning said, “It will also be a site where small businesses can set up. I think that if they build it, the businesses will come.”

But getting to this demolition process hasn’t been easy or cheap.

“Thirty million dollars is being invested to remove about thirty buildings,” Monning said.

Much of the costly investment is used to address the dangers inside the buildings.

“It’s more than just knocking them over,” Monning said, “You have to remove the toxins, you have to have special crews, some have to wear hazmat suits. It can cost up to a million dollars per building removal.”

Though the new projects will mostly benefit CSUMB students, revenues will also help everyone who lives in Seaside.

“Sales tax, property tax, all those things that are necessary for providing public services such as street maintenance, police and fire” Rubio said, “All those things necessary to run a city.”

Thirty buildings will be torn down during this first round of demolition, that leaves 100 buildings still slated to be demolished.

Construction for the new project is expected to start next year.

PREVIOUS STORY: Major construction activity is underway at the former Fort Ord.

It’s a huge step towards reusing the Fort Ord land, something many on the Central Coast have been pushing for.

Wednesday marked the start of the removal of many buildings on Fort Ord, making way for projects many feel will benefit the surrounding community.

KION Zach Fuentes will have the full story at 5 p.m.