Newport yacht charter seeks city intervention over Lido Marina Village parking

In its first meeting of the new year, the Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday may weigh in on an issue that has essentially turned into a parking dispute between a local yacht charter company and its Lido Marina Village landlord.

The council will consider an appeal of a Planning Commission adjustment of the shopping center’s parking management plan.

Last fall, the commission updated Lido Marina Village’s city permit to allow employees of the center’s roughly 30 businesses to park for free in the onsite parking garage.

Previously, workers chose between two options: pay $85 a month to park at a medical office building about a mile and a half away and take a shuttle or seek free parking in the residential neighborhood across the street from the recently refurbished center. Many took their chances on the latter.

But the influx of employees at the garage is crowding out customers of Electra Cruises, sending some onto the same surface streets and causing some to miss their boats, the company says. Electra, a longtime tenant at Lido Marina Village, offers charter superyacht cruises for weddings and other events.

Electra representatives say Lido Marina Village management failed to honor a private parking agreement and misled the city by not sharing the scope of the center’s parking circumstances, according to an appeal filed after the Planning Commission’s October decision.

In a report for the council, city planning staff did not comment about the private agreement. It recommended that the council uphold the commission’s decision because it allows flexibility. Lido Marina Village still has offsite options and maintains its shuttle system for busy periods.

Tuesday’s meeting starts at 4 p.m. with a study session, followed by the regular session at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD