Jay Berine of Marina …

(Courtesy of Jay Merine.)

A boat sunk early Wednesday am in the E Basin at Mariners Bay Apartments & Anchorage. Representatives from CA Fish & Game, US Coast Guard, LA Sheriffs and the Marina were all on hand to observe as divers and crew cleaned up the spilled oil and attempted to raise the vessel. The old wooden boat’s owner indicated that a plank had given way and he was unable to stop the massive leak. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Even his dog and 3 pet fish were saved.

Douglas Fay, activist …

After receiving your announcement and an email from LA County Dept. of Beaches and Harbors that states, “The purpose of this meeting is to showcase the proposed vision for a future Marina del Rey. Please come by anytime during the times noted above and tell us what you think. We hope you will attend!”

I attended and asked for a speaker card. The receptionists said there aren’t any speaker cards. I asked how can I tell you what I think without speaking. They said by writing on a comment card. I wrote “This process is significantly flawed. Signed in protest, Douglas Fay.”

Funding a visioning process during a county general plan update (GPU), that is separate from the GPU process, causes confusion and is a waste of time and resources.

Frank Murphy, builder, letter to VNC, cc Update …

Dear VNC Board Members:

The VSP was set in place to create a systemic underpinning for the community to maintain equilibrium while the community evolves and grows. Unlike most other communities in LA, Venice is a community of small parcels which allows for a wide variety of approaches to living styles and commercial endeavors. This is in my mind the core to the heart of Venice. The C&S (character and scale) of Venice is defined not so much by the physical architecture of a building (try categorizing that in Venice) as by the small parcels that make up Venice.

In light of this I was disturbed by the decisions reached by LUPC concerning two lot consolidation projects being proposed – namely, the “Hotel” on Abbot Kinney and the “Mixed Use” on Main. LUPC voted almost unanimous thumbs up for the hotel and unanimous thumbs down for the mixed use. I reserve the right to be wrong, but this seems to me to be in direct contradiction to both the letter and intent of the VSP and the C&S of Venice.

Allow me to explain as I see it:

The key to these projects is lot consolidation. Both of them rely on consolidation to make their project work. Both projects are in a C2 zone in the same subarea of Venice.
The VSP in commercial zones allows consolidation of up to 3 lots with subterranean parking for commercial uses.

If a project is mixed use it can consolidate more lots providing the parking is subterranean. Mixed use as I understand it has always meant to be a combination of multifamily residential and commercial uses.

It seems to me that the intent of the VSP would be to create multiple living opportunities to further augment local commercial opportunities thereby benefiting the community as a whole with the least amount of risk to the community. The risk here being that a consolidated group of parcels retained by one entity booms or busts as a singular unit. Whereas a consolidated group of parcels retained by multiple entities, each booms or busts independently of the whole. Looking out over the next 100 years it is far less risky to the community as a whole to spread ownership in the smallest increments to the most amount of people. Lot consolidation is meant to promote the character of Venice, not to distract from it.

Core differences between the two projects are:

Hotel: consolidates lots for a commercial enterprise that benefits a single entity, while side-stepping the mixed use stipulation by providing token apartments. The project does not comply with the VSP and has abandoned SB1818 bonuses when it was determined to be untenable.

Mixed use: consolidates lots for a truly mixed use enterprise that benefits multiple entities, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 owners. It adheres to the letter and the intent of the VSP and further accommodates low and moderate housing via SB1818 and the benefits allowed by that.

As I see it, the vote by the LUPC should have been the opposite of what was handed down. I hope that the VNC can see past LUPC and vote ‘no’ on the hotel on Abbot Kinney and ‘yes’ on the mixed use on Main.

John Reed covered lot consolidation for Abbot Kinney Hotel.