MVCC Seeks More Data and Input on Marina del Rey Redevelopment Project

At its monthly board of directors meeting Sept. 13, the Mar Vista Community Council expressed grave concerns over Los Angeles County’s proposal to significantly reduce public parking in Marina del Rey as part of its major redevelopment plans in the area.

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission in December voted 3-1 in favor of the redevelopment plan. The planning department removed a project from consideration that would have reduced parking near Mother's Beach to make room for a three-building complex that would include 292 apartment units, 32,400 square feet of retail space and 323 restaurant seats. The project had been decried by rowers who use the lot to park while they enjoy time on their kayaks, canoes and paddleboards.

The California Coastal Commission was supposed to hear the county’s proposed Local Coastal Plan amendment in June. That was then pushed back to early October. Last week it was postponed yet again

The proposal calls for:

1. A 400-unit apartment complex replacing a 136-unit complex and a 126-unit apartment complex on an existing public parking lot
2. A 114-unit senior housing complex
3. A dry-dock boat storage facility for 375 boats
4. A proposed mixed use-facility that could include more than 116,000 square feet of commercial space, 255 residential units and a new 26,000-square-foot facility for the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors

Marc Saltzberg of the Venice Neighborhood Council attended the MVCC board meeting and said that the amendment of Marina del Rey’s land use plan would substantially increase traffic and reduce parking in the area.

“The traffic will impact [Marina del Rey, Venice and Mar Vista]," he said. “There are currently 17 projects going up in Marina del Rey without any adequate study.”

The Venice Neighborhood Council passed a resolution in August , which claimed there would be little impact on surrounding neighborhoods. The VNC also opposed the reduction of public parking spaces in Marina del Rey.

Nancy Marino, co-chair of the group We ARE Marina del Rey, told the MVCC that her organization had already commissioned its own survey that the county refused to take into consideration.

Marino noted that there are currently 3,138 existing public parking spaces in the Marina and 2,773 of those will be eliminated if the amendment passes. She added, “The county will only commit to maintaining 1,200 spaces if this amendment passes. It’s a comprehensive revision of all of our planning and land use policies and zoning laws without the requisite public hearings and notices that are required.”

MVCC board members deliberated for some time to come up with the correct wording of the motion they plan to submit to the California Coastal Commission. However, the consensus was that the lack of public notice to surrounding communities was something that had to be addressed.

Maritza Przekop said, “We need more time to study their proposals. Why were no community meetings held? I would like this council to say that we won’t consider this amendment until we’ve had a chance to participate in the discussion.”

Tara Mulski said more time was needed to undertake public outreach. “We need to make it clear why we want this [hearing] delayed. We need time for meaningful deliberation and analysis.”

Sharon Commins was much more blunt. “I am so tired of these fake traffic studies that directly impact us, I could spit,” she said. “They tried it in Playa Vista and in Bundy Village and now the county is trying it here. There needs to be something in our motion that says the Mar Vista Community Council and other neighborhood councils directly affected by this amendment need to receive proper notice and be given a chance to respond to it.”

Marina del Rey Patch Editor Paul Chavez contributed to this report.

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