Marina del Rey Senior Housing Development Approved

A senior housing complex developer in Marina del Rey received the green light today after three years of planning revisions.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the construction of the six-floor, 114-unit complex that will will encompass 2.1 acres on a parking lot located between Admiralty Way and Washington Boulevard, east of Palawan Way.

The Marina del Rey Coastal Program, a land-use plan that sets zoning rules for development, was amended to accommodate the developer, MDR Oceana, by waiving the ban on new structures on parking lots.

Jon Nahhas, of the Boating Coalition, voiced his frustrations to the board of supervisors over the continuous and relentless surrender of public land to developers.

“This project discriminates against the majority of the public,” he said.

The existing 186-space lot will be demolished, and 92 new spaces will be available for public use.

Although the project will result in a loss of public parking spaces, planning commissioners justified the conversion by finding that the current lot is underutilized, according to documents. 

As a result of the concession, the developer agreed to build 94 new public spaces on Panay Way, closer to Mother’s Beach and therefore more desirable to the public, according to a planning report.

Members of We ARE Marina del Rey, a group that opposes development in the marina, raised several objections to the project over the last couple of years, including an insufficient environmental review, an increase in traffic and the elimination of a necessary parking lot.

Parking spaces should be used for recreational purposes, according to We ARE Marina del Rey Co-Director Nancy Marino.

The development is expected to generate 30 new afternoon car trips, and the developer will pay $170,700 in traffic mitigation fees.