12 • Mar. 25 - Apr. 7, 2016 • The Log
Los Angeles County contemplates recreational boating strategy for Marina del Rey
Public provides input at rare evening meeting for Small Craft Harbor Commission.
By Parimal M. Rohit
LOS ANGELES — Boaters and Marina del Rey stakeholders filled the commu- nity room at Burton Chace Park on March 3 to provide input on Los Angeles County’s recreational boating strategy during a special evening meet- ing of the Small Craft Harbor Commission. Gary Jones, director of the county’s
Department of Beaches and Harbors, said his staff developed several objec- tives to make Marina del Rey a world- class destination. The department, specifically, hopes to establish the county’s largest harbor as a clean, safe and vibrant marina with an easily accessible waterfront and robust ecosystem. Jones added his depart- ment aimed to make Marina del Rey a premier tourism and boating destina- tion. Marina del Rey has faced some challenges in recent years, according to Jones, such as high vacancy rates of slips for smaller vessels, limited water access, closed-off or narrow prome- nades, and a need for funding. The county has also been instructed
by the state to regulate copper levels in Marina del Rey’s waters.
County officials hope to make key harbor and landside improvements to the entire Marina del Rey area in order to make the coastal enclave a world-class destination.
“We’re also faced with a challenge of
decreasing the amount of copper in the marina waters. We have a mandate from the State Water Resources Board to reduce by 85 percent by 2024 the copper load in Marina del Rey waters. We are exploring a number of different solutions and working very closely with the state on the mechanisms to help the county bring about those changes, including boat lifts,” Jones said. Despite these challenges Jones said the county has made some improve- ments to Marina del Rey’s infrastruc- ture, such as upgrades to transient docks and pumpout facilities, addition- al waterbus stops, and new guest docks.
Many stakeholders urged the com- mission to continue promoting recre- ational boating activities in Marina del Rey through rowing and a community boathouse. Representatives from L.A. Rowing
Club, for example, said their use of dry boat storage at Dock 77 and access to the water has helped its members pur- sue a college education. David Baker, who operates his per- sonal injury law firm in the same build- ing as Pacific Mariners Yacht Club located on Panay Way, said he has cam- paigned to increase the presence of guest docks in Marina del Rey ever since he observed the docks slowly diminishing over the course of 30 years.
Commissioners approve Fifth Avenue Landing expansion
By Parimal M. Rohit
SAN DIEGO — The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners deter- mined a plan to upgrade Fifth Avenue Landing with two new hotels, a public plaza, and marina expansion should undergo an envi- ronmental review process and be further studied by staff. Developers presented to commis- sioners and port staff updated plans for the Fifth Avenue Landing hotel project and marina expansion on March 8. The presentation updated commissioners and port staff on where plans currently stand. Those current plans call for the building of two hotels adjacent to the landing and expanding of the marina by as many as two-dozen slips. The project is expected to cost between $270 million and $325 mil- lion.
One of the hotels would be a 44-
story, 498-foot tall tower with 830 rooms and 213-285 parking spaces; the other would be a 166-bed “lower cost visitor hotel.” Fifth Street
Landing could also have between 20-25 new boat slips as part of a pro- posed marina expansion. “This is a very prominent site,”
said Robert Green, CEO of The Robert Green Co. and the project’s developer. “The very first thing we started with is how people access this site.” Once completed the new Fifth
Avenue Landing would connect boaters, hotel guests and ferry com- muters from Coronado to downtown San Diego and the city’s convention center. A public dock slip would be part of the expansion. “Currently there is a large vessel
marina adjoining the proposed hotel site. The marina would be expanded to include an additional 20-25 large vessel slips to the south- east of the existing marina,” port staff stated. “The slips would be attached to a new pile-supported pier or use floating docks that extend southwest of the existing slips.” Green estimates the new Fifth Avenue Landing would bring more
than $6 million in new revenue to the port district and as much as $7.5 million in tax revenues to the city and county of San Diego. “There is really a lot to like about
this project,” said Commissioner Dan Malcolm. “It’s going to enhance the public experience.” Commissioner Anne Moore said public access to the waterfront should be guaranteed by the proj- ect’s entitlements. The project still needs to undergo
an environmental review and obtain approvals and entitlements. Construction would take up to 30 months to complete once the proj- ect is allowed to move forward, according to port staff. Fifth Avenue Landing is located in
front of the San Diego Convention Center and just south of the Marriott Marquis Marina and embarcadero area. A ferry from Coronado Island arrives at the edge of the landing and drops off nearly 300,000 people annually. The 12-slip boutique mari- na also serves as a place for 100- to 350-foot yachts to dock.
“I’m happy to report we made some
great progress,” Baker said, adding he is working with the county to add a new guest dock at F Basin. “I think this is going to be a great benefit for Marina del Rey.” A representative from the develop- ers of Pier 44 assured commissioners the planned Fisherman’s Village would foster boating access to the area’s visi- tor-serving uses. Others recommended bringing dinghy docks to allow boaters to take advantage of local amenities and installing trash skimmers to keep the marina water clean. One boater said Marina del Rey should give boaters a reason to come to or stay at the harbor by hosting public waterfront concerts similar to those at the Port of San Diego. Tim Riley of the Marina Lessees Association added he’d like to see more opportunities for legal charter opera- tions and added parking. The owner of FantaSea Yachts said his company has made every effort to promote all forms of boating in Marina del Rey. “FantaSea has been an active mem- ber of the recreational boating commu- nity since day one. We have had more than 1 million passengers aboard our yachts. Between Hornblower, the fish- ing boat fleet and ourselves we put more people in boats on the water to enjoy Marina del Rey than any other user,” said FantaSea Yachts owner Daniel Ginsburg. Some speakers hoped commission- ers and the county would take greater measures to promote boater safety. Lina Shanklin expressed concern of a planned 92-slip anchorage in the main channel by Marina Admiralty Partners. “The proposed new marina will adversely impact the entire boating and recreational user community and result in significant safety and traffic flow impacts similar to the ill-fate boat launch ramp site that was rejected last year by boaters and this commission,” Shanklin said. She added the proposed anchorage
would result in large yachts turning directly into boating traffic lanes in the main channel. Jon Nahhas of the Boating Coalition hoped the county would continue to hold night meetings to allow as many boaters as possible from all over the region to provide input on the county’s recreational boating strategy. “This is public land for the 10 mil-
lion residents of Los Angeles County,” Nahhas said. “This is all about getting people on the water. We need to have more of these meetings.” Commissioners will review public comments during the next few weeks and revisit the recreational boating strategy at its next scheduled meeting in April.
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Parimal M. Rohit photo
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