Local News in Brief : Marina Rent Hike Rejected

A commission overseeing Marina del Rey has rejected a proposal to increase rents the county receives from operators of thousands of apartments and boat slips because it included a provision extending operators’ leases for a fee to be negotiated later.

The county’s Small Craft Harbor Commission voted 3 to 2 against the proposal put together by county staff and marina operators. A majority of the commissioners said the county could get higher fees for lease extensions if the question were negotiated after an agreement on the rent that operators would pay.

Marina operators said they only agreed to a proposed rent increase, which would give the county an extra $2.6 million in annual rent and a one-time payment of about $4 million, because they want the option of extending their 60-year leases by 39 years. They have said they will not agree to an increase unless it is linked to a lease extension.

The 800-acre marina is operated by 57 lessees who have built about 6,000 boat slips, 5,800 apartments and other businesses under county leases. Each operator pays a percentage of his gross income as rent to the county. In 1987, operators took in about $150 million and paid $15 million in rent.