Proposed High-Rises Assailed

A redevelopment plan that could bring more high-rise buildings and traffic to Marina del Rey has run into opposition from the staff of the California Coastal Commission.

In a report, the commission staff has recommended that Los Angeles County’s revised plan for the redevelopment of Marina del Rey be rejected unless key concerns about open space, traffic, public coastal access and building heights are addressed.

The plan, scheduled to come before the Coastal Commission on Wednesday in a meeting in Huntington Beach, could significantly alter the height and density of residential, hotel and commercial buildings around the harbor.

It has drawn fire from marina residents and others who argue the harbor could become a “Century City by the Sea” or a “Wilshire on the Water” by permitting buildings up to 225 feet high. Critics have gathered more than 1,200 signatures in opposition to the plan. Among other objections, they say that high-rise development could change wind patterns and block sunlight and ocean views.

“High-rises don’t belong in any marina. It’s a recreational area,” said Iylene Weiss, spokeswoman for the Friends of Marina del Rey, a group fighting the plan. “Who wants to go to the beach in an elevator?”

Marina del Rey is owned by the county and leased to developers who operate the harbor’s residential and commercial facilities.

County officials who support the plan argue that the aging marina needs redevelopment to attract the public and provide the county much needed revenue from long-term leases. They say new boat slips, restaurants, offices, apartments and shops would revitalize the harbor, which in some areas is showing signs of decay.

Commission staff members, however, say they want to ensure that development remains compatible with the recreational needs of the area. Instead of high-rises, they say, the marina should have more parks and moderately priced hotels, dormitories and youth hostels.

“It is important that all economic segments of our society have access to the marina and that any development shall provide and protect access to the coast,” said Pam Emerson, a supervisor in the commission’s South Coast district office. “We are also concerned that the heights of these buildings will interfere with winds for sailing, will result in shading of the docks and are just not compatible with a recreational area like the marina.”

The commission’s staff report proposes more open space, lowering planned building height limits on the harbor’s artificial peninsulas to 45 feet and setting a construction ceiling of 75 feet on surrounding waterfront streets. The report also seeks financial commitments from developers for regional traffic improvements to cope with the increased residential and commercial density.

The Marina del Rey redevelopment plan, already approved by county supervisors, would allow 2,585 additional residential units in the existing marina, 905 new hotel rooms, 1,875 restaurant seats and 383 boat slips. The proposal also would grant an extra 207,000 square feet of retail space, 58,000 square feet of office space, a 40,000-square-foot conference center and a new wing for the library.

County officials say their plan complies with the 1976 California Coastal Act, which requires that coastal development provide and protect public access. They also insist that redevelopment is crucial, considering the impending competition from the planned $7-billion Playa Vista project nearby.

County planners also maintain that their plan provides the flexibility and economic incentives to lure developers and new projects, making the marina more attractive.

“It will make it better for everyone, the people who live here and the ones who visit,” said Jim Fawcett, the county’s planning chief for Marina del Rey. “The plan will revitalize how the marina looks and reconfigure the uses. There will be an added incentive to enjoy it as a public place, more restaurants, upgraded park areas and pedestrian paths, and services.”

Weiss says she and others plan to rebut such arguments in appearances before the Coastal Commission next week.

“We have confidence that the commissioners will land on the side of the Coastal Act and common sense,” she said.