Marina del Rey residents want park, not apartment complex

County planners see the 2-acre public parking lot on the west side of Marina del Rey as underutilized and better suited for an apartment complex.

But a group of citizens has a different vision for the land along Marquesas Way near Via Marina, not far from Mother's Beach. In its place, they want the county to build a park - a use envisioned for the site years ago, but that never came to fruition as marina redevelopment plans marched forward.

The parking area - Parcel FF - is one of several in Marina del Rey that the county Department of Beaches and Harbors wants to redevelop, but that requires a land-use change before anything could be built on it.

The Board of Supervisors in February agreed to establish new uses for FF and other parking lots - despite community opposition - and on April 26 could vote to certify an environmental report for the planned apartment development. (The land-use amendments still require California Coastal Commission approval).

With the supervisors' meeting about a week away, a collection of community groups plans a walk and Easter event Sunday to drum up support for its cause.

Participants plan to meet at Mother's Beach, where activities for children are planned, and walk to the parking lot in question on Marquesas. They'll then circle back to the beach for more events, including the judging of an essay contest titled "Saving our Park."

"We want our park," said Carla Andrus, a liveaboard boater and community activist who organized the activities. "We want the county to deliver on this broken promise and break ground on our park."

An amendment to Parcel FF's open space designation is significant in that it would pave the way for an apartment complex proposed on both sides of Marquesas. The project - by Legacy Partners - would replace the aging 136-unit Neptune Marina complex with 526 units.

Plans call for Parcel FF to house 126 apartments, while another 400 would be built on the current Neptune Marina leasehold.

Andrus argues that permitting apartments on a public parking lot that is designated as open space is a violation of public trust.

She points to a 1996 analysis of the area's land-use program by the Coastal Commission staff that discusses how converting that lot and another area to open space would help offset the effects of new residential development.

Andrus contends the park is long overdue, as is the redevelopment of Neptune, which she'd like to see contained to its current site.

County officials see the situation differently, however.

They maintain the park space isn't being wiped off the map, but would be incorporated into another planned project at nearby Via Marina and Tahiti Way. On that vacant leasehold where a 19-story Woodfin hotel is proposed, private funding would pay for a "passive" wetland park and public anchorage, said Kerry Silverstrom, chief deputy director of Beaches and Harbors.

"It's still on the same side of the marina," she said of the alternate open space location.

And she said the hotel-adjacent open space would offer better views than the location on Marquesas, which also is long and narrow.

"We feel, in fact, that we have an improved area for the park," she said. "It's just a better place."

Andrus, though, believes residents are looking for "a beautiful, relaxing setting," and more - including a place for active recreation such as soccer and basketball.

kristin.agostoni@dailybreeze.com

Want to go?

What: Marina del Rey residents plan an Easter-themed event and walk to protest plans for apartments on a parking lot designated for open space.

Where: Activities start at Mother's Beach playground, Admiralty Way and Via Marina

When: 10 a.m. to noon Sunday

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