There aren’t too many buildings in which Tiger Woods could blast a ball from one end and not hit the far wall. But there is such a building—and it’s in the Marina Bay area of Richmond. Once a Ford manufacturing plant, this 517,000-square-foot giant with bayside views is being rehabbed by Orton Development, Inc., an experienced commercial developer. It will house live-work spaces, offices, and homes for small businesses that actually make things—like bakeries, woodshops, and ceramics studios.

Richmond boasts ten sites on the National Register of Historic Places, most of which are located along the waterfront and include (in addition to the Ford plant) Marina Bay’s Rosie the Riveter Memorial, and Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, headquartered in the Fort Point building. The park and museum honor American women, known as “Rosies,” who were a vital part of the country’s wartime work force. During World War II, the four Richmond shipyards, with their combined 27 shipways, produced 747 ships—more than any other shipyard complex in the country.

Marina Bay features some of the most upscale residential properties in Richmond and an impressive variety of businesses, from high tech companies to a maritime industry that includes the Port of Richmond; flourishing boatyards such as Keefe Kaplan Maritime, Inc.; all sizes and types of pleasure craft; and world-class racing-yacht design and construction. Kaiser Optical and the California Public Health Laboratory also call Marina Bay home.

With all that Marina Bay already offers, there are still numerous development opportunities available along Richmond’s shoreline. Its prime location between the Richmond/San Rafael and Bay bridges, which enables business owners to draw employees from a wide area and still offer reasonable commute times, also offers some of the most affordable commercial real estate in the Bay Area. There is also serious discussion of a Richmond to San Francisco ferry operating from Marina Bay.