Housing: Proposed Board-and-Care Facility in Marina del Rey

The brief article announcing the Board of Supervisors’ approval of an apartment building and board-and-care facility on Panay Way in Marina del Rey (“Apartment Building, Senior Care Facility OKd,” Jan. 5) does not tell the full story of this controversial development, which is opposed by boaters and area residents.

The so-called board-and-care facility actually will be a seven-story luxury residential hotel with 78 units renting for as high as $5,000 per month. The developer, Jonah Goldrich, says he needs the second seven-story, 68-unit apartment building to subsidize the board-and-care project.

If Goldrich gets permits from the Coastal Commission to increase residential density and building heights from 45 feet to 75 feet on a road surrounded on three sides by boat docks, that will be precedent for increased heights, densities and traffic throughout the marina.

The Small Craft Harbor Commission, recognizing the potential negative impacts of wind tunnels and shade on public recreational boating, asked the Board of Supervisors to order a cumulative wind study. The request was ignored.

Marina del Rey is owned by the county--i.e. the taxpayers. The marina was developed with matching funds from the federal and state governments, and county revenue bonds for the purpose of financing “small boat harbor improvements and facilities for public convenience,” and not to subsidize huge profits for developers.

The newly formed Friends of Marina del Rey opposes the Goldrich project and the proposed amendments to the Marina del Rey Land Use Plan, which potentially would allow 20-story buildings on the waterfront and ultimately destroy the recreational resources of the marina. It is not in the public interest to radically urbanize the public recreational small-boat harbor and create “Wilshire on the Water.” Call (310) 577-2265 for more information.

IYLENE WEISS

Marina del Rey