MARINA DEL REY : Advisory Agency OKs First Stage of Playa Vista Project

The first stage of the vast Playa Vista project near Marina del Rey has received the blessing of a key Los Angeles agency.

An advisory agency to City Planning Director Con Howe on Friday approved subdividing 246 acres between the marina and the Westchester Bluffs for the initial phase of the residential, office, retail and hotel project. The agency also certified Playa Vista’s voluminous environmental impact report as adequate.

But the decision is almost certain to be appealed to the city Planning Commission and eventually to the City Council. Anticipating that will be the case, the Planning Commission set a July 29 hearing on the Playa Vista development.

The project’s first stage--amounting to about a quarter of the total development--involves construction of 3,246 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of office space, 35,000 square feet of retail space and 300 hotel rooms. Ultimately, the project would be home to 28,625 residents and a workplace for 20,000 people.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter and state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica)--have expressed concerns about the project’s potential impact, particularly on traffic and air quality in the already-congested coastal area.