Reactions to Marina Plan Run Gamut

The way Charles McGuire and Bill Arnold see it, they’re sitting on a bona fide Southern California gold mine on the shores of Marina del Rey.

Their eyes glinting against a strong afternoon sun, the real estate partners saw nothing but the clear sailing of business opportunity Wednesday, the day after the County Board of Supervisors adopted a redevelopment plan that includes competitive bidding for hotels, restaurants and shops on the prime waterfront property.

The pair have a 30-year lease on land they sublease to several businesses and see a golden opportunity to expand their Foghorn Hotel from one floor to perhaps 10.

“We’re right in the middle of this horseshoe here,” McGuire said, pointing to a beach landscape already dotted by hotels, motels and restaurants. “The plan is to develop the heck out of this area, bring in more of the same--restaurants and hotels.

“Ten years ago, the county wouldn’t have gone for any expansion like this, but now they seem ready to work with developers. For us, this is a real window of opportunity.”

But not all the local denizens who work at, live on or play along the 30-year-old marina share the same high hopes for its immediate future.

Depending on how you look at it, news of the redevelopment plans was either the best or worst to hit the waterfront in years. Some boat owners said the plan--which they hoped would include a refurbishment of deteriorating yacht slips--was long overdue.

Others, however, feared new high-rises that could be part of the county’s plans would cut down on wind currents and destroy the marina for sailing enthusiasts.

Still others worried that any air of frenzied development would spill over to areas that aren’t in need of change--spoiling the serenity of parks, introducing gridlock to coastal roads already choked by cars, trucks and tourist buses.

“Our concerns are transportation-related,” said Niki Tennant, a spokesman for City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district includes more than 50,000 residents who live on or near the marina. “Bringing in more people to the marina will impact residents. They already have to endure roads that are almost choked to death.”

With the wrinkle of an eyebrow, Gene Levinthal voiced the possible bust side presented by the new plan. The former commodore of the Santa Monica Yacht Club, which will see its lease expire in three years, is fearful that the county will give the club the heave-ho for more profitable tenants.

“For us, the worst-case scenario is that the county won’t renew our lease and that they’ll give the land to someone who can generate more money than a yacht club,” Levinthal said.

That would mean the club would have to tear down the headquarters it built for nearly $600,000. “We don’t want to do that so we’re working with the county,” Levinthal said. “We’re developing plans to expand our parking and maybe build a pool to make ourselves more attractive. We have no choice, if we plan to survive.”

Nearby, sitting on a wind-swept bench overlooking the water at Burton W. Chace Park, Father Doug Glassman said a prayer that any redevelopment would spare the tiny patch of green grass, blue waters and blue skies he has come to love.

“This place is my fresh air, my beauty. It supplies my need for space,” the Catholic priest from Venice said of the waterfront park. “I hope nothing ever happens to it.”

But the arrival of hotels and restaurants doesn’t necessarily mean paved-over parks and parking lots, others said. “Some of these businesses do their share of planting trees and flowers,” said Glassman. “A lot of the beauty we have wouldn’t be here if not for the businesses with a sensitivity to the area.”

Nearby, Marcy Koch was enjoying her weekly picnic on the green grass with her parents, Gerald and Dorothy Dowell. As they munched on sandwiches, all three agreed that perhaps development should be kept away from the marina.

“I’m inclined to say that some things are better off left alone,” said Koch. “Development means more cars, and we can all do without any more of those. I know that sounds selfish, but that’s the way it is.”

On the opposite side of the marina, near Mother’s Beach, where the county has earmarked plans for a resort, including hotels, restaurants and retail shops, Adam Bovino labored silently, replacing the tube on a bicycle tire at the rental shop where he works.

He thought for a moment about the prospect of new hotels.

“Personally, I think it’s a good idea because I work in a place that makes money off the hotels,” he said. “But if I lived here, I’d be against it. It means more tourists and means prices go up on everything, even the little things, like a gallon of milk.”

Dix Stillman is a third-generation yachtsman who has seen big ideas and pipe dreams come and go at the marina like the evening tide.

Whatever the county decides to do, he only implores the politicians to think things through first.

He looked down into the cool water licking the sun-dappled slips, many of which he says are in need of repair. “This marina is 30 years old. . . . Bring the right people in. Fix the parking and the streets. Make this place come alive with more hotels and restaurants. But for god’s sakes, do the job right.”