The first civilians are now living on the former Naval Training Center in San Diego, The Corky McMillin Cos. recently announced. According to Rick Jarrett, sales vice president for McMillin Homes, 10 families are now living in Admiralty Row at Liberty Station and a half-dozen more families are expected to move into new residences in a couple of weeks.

McMillin is giving each household that buys a home at Liberty Station two beach cruiser bicycles. Residents will eventually be able to bike to the arts and cultural district at Liberty Station, the Saturday farmer's market, parks, the Sail Ho golf course, the waterfront, downtown San Diego and beyond.

"This is an exciting time for the city, McMillin and Liberty Station as the Residential District is really beginning to come alive," Jarrett said. "The base has been closed to the public for 75 years and now the first families are getting settled and a sense of community is beginning to surface.

"For those fortunate enough to make Liberty Station their home, they will experience what is considered by many, to be the quintessential San Diego lifestyle," Jarrett said. "McMillin Homes is proud of the neighborhoods being created, and believe that these homeowners are a big part of this once-in-a-lifetime transformation."

McMillin held its grand opening in December for the Residential District, and has sold more than 100 homes since then. Admiralty Row is the first of three neighborhoods at Liberty Station, where eventually 349 homes will be built.

David and Kathy Graulich, new residents of Liberty Station, were one of the first to move into their home at Admiralty Row. "We are excited to be living in a community just blocks away from the water; the mix of parks, homes, the arts and cultural center and restaurants was what initially interested us in Liberty Station," said Kathy Graulich. "It was also very exciting for my husband Dave, a 1991 graduate of the Naval Academy, to live in this community.

"We chose the Nimitz plan because there's so much great living space and the kitchen is huge," she said. "Our move went extremely smooth, and the sales office has been fantastic to work with."

The Residential District at Liberty Station will include 80 single-family detached homes at Admiralty Row, 129 detached town homes at Beacon Point and 140 attached town homes at Anchor Cove. A blend of architectural styles is planned -- designed to fit with the character of the Point Loma area and recall the styles and colors of the naval facility that saw thousands of sailors receive training over a period of 75 years.

The homes at Admiralty Row in the Residential District at Liberty Station range from 2,297 square feet to 2,823 square feet with prices starting in the low $700,000s.

Admiralty Row comprises three two-story floor plans, ranging from 2,297 square feet to 2,823 square feet, offering three to five bedrooms, 2.5 to four baths and two-car garages. Prices start in the low $700,000s and phase three is currently selling.

Beacon Point features three detached town-home plans, each in either a two- or three-story layout and sized from 1,938 square feet to 3,162 square feet. Two, three or four bedrooms are possible with 2.5 to 3.5 baths and two-car garages. Prices at Beacon Point start in the low $600,000s and phase three is currently selling.

At Anchor Cove, four basic town-home floor plans, with variation within many of them, will offer two or three bedrooms and 2.5 to 3.5 baths on three levels. All residences come with a two-car garage and will be sized from 1,086 square feet to 1,583 square feet. Prices start in the high $300,000s.

The Liberty Station Residential District is one part of the new 361-acre waterfront community being jointly developed by the city of San Diego Redevelopment Agency and The Corky McMillin Cos. The overall community will include 125 acres of parks and open space including an existing boat channel, the nine-hole Sail Ho golf course, shopping villages and restaurants, a 28-acre civic, arts and cultural district -- to be developed by the NTC Foundation, a private 501(c)3 non-profit corporation -- two hotels, a seven-building Office District and a 22-acre educational campus anchored by High Tech High.

Simms is president of Julia Simms Public Relations.