The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously endorsed a major redevelopment plan for Marina del Rey despite objections from a busload of opponents who trekked downtown for a public hearing from the marina.

The supervisors gave their approval by a 4-0 vote for four so-called "Pipeline Projects" that were bundled together for consideration. They are:

1. A 400-unit apartment complex replacing a 136-unit complex and a 126-unit apartment complex on an existing public parking lot.

2. A 114-unit senior housing complex.

3. A dry-dock boat storage facility for 375 boats.

4. A proposed mixed use-facility that could include more than 116,000 square feet of commercial space, 255 residential units and a new 26,000-square-foot facility for the county's Department of Beaches and Harbor.

The projects are being considered as part of the Marina del Rey Local Coastal Program Major Amendment, a long-term development and land-use plan for the marina.

A neighborhood group called We ARE Marina del Rey chartered a "Save the Marina" bus to bring concerned residents to the downtown meeting. The group held a rally against the proposed development plans Tuesday morning outside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration building where the board of county supervisors meet.

Supervisor Don Knabe, whose district includes Marina del Rey, chaired the public hearing and gave opponents and supporters of the project 35 minutes each to voice their opinions during 1-minute speeches.

"Marina del Rey is the crown jewel of the County and I think we can all admit that it needs some polishing,” Knabe said in a statement. “Today’s action allows for a balanced approach to redevelopment of the Marina and will move us forward in creating a special place to be enjoyed by boaters, visitors and all residents of Los Angeles County.”

Opponents of the plan view the county's action as a gift to developers at the expense of county residents and claim it is against the mandate that the marina be preserved as a recreational destination for county residents.

"We are outraged that Supervisor Knabe cut off members of the public from speaking," said David Barish, a co-director of We ARE Marina Del Rey. "At least eight people who bussed down to the hearing were unable to voice their concerns. Knabe spent more time reading obituraries and scroll presentations than he did listening to members of  the public who were opposed to the amendment."

John Rizzo, president of the Marina Tenants Association, told the supervisors that their support of the project should be viewed as the "poster boy of corruption."

He compared the county supervisors to the leaders of the south-east county cities of Bell and Vernon, who recently were exposed for widespread violation of the public's trust in a corruption scandal.

"Stop this pipeline and go back to the drawing board with the public and reconfigure the marina for recreation and stop the corruption," Rizzo said.

One of the more contentious parts of the proposal has been its call to reduce the number of boat spaces, or slips, to accommodate longer and wider boats. New policies will require that at least 50 percent of slips be 38-feet in length or less. Currently, about 70 percent of the slips are 35-feet long or less. Critics claim the move favors the wealthy at the expense of boaters who can't afford larger craft.

John Nahhas, of the Boating Coalition and L.A. Mariner.com, told the supervisors that the project did not have the public's support and compared the move toward larger boats to favoring Humvees, despite industry trends showing an increasing market for smaller vehicles.

"Getting rid of entry level boating contradicts all research," Nahhas said. Boat manufacturers are moving toward smaller boats and he urged the supervisors to listen to the private sector.

"We are now going to be hosting the America's Cup in the state of California, that is a huge deal," Nahhas said. "The America's Cup is coming to California and we are reducing entry-level boating, that's like hosting the World Cup and getting rid of AYSO soccer. That's like hosting the Olympics and getting rid of youth swimming or youth gymmastics, it doesn't make sense. Getting rid of entry-level boating cannot happen and you should fight this at every opportunity you can."

Tim O'Brien, a senior managing director of Irvine, CA-based Legacy Partners, urged the supervisors to support the project. O'Brien said his firm, which is the lessee for the Neptune Marina apartments, has been working on redeveloping the Neptune Marina complex for 10 years.

"The approval of the (project) today is going to move our project one step closer to becoming a reality. This project is good for the community," O'Brien said. "Not only does it replace housing units which are functionally obsolescent,  but we're going to have an educational weltand park, an expanded promenade area and most importantly over 85 affordable housing units that are included in the project."

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Dec. 15 voted 3-1 in favor of the redevelopment plan. The planning department removed a project from consideration that would have reduced parking near Mother's Beach to make room for a three-building complex that would include 292 apartment units, 32,400 square-feet of retail space and 323 restaurant seats. The project had been decried by rowers who use the parking lot when they launch their kayaks, canoes and paddleboards.

Several people who spoke during the second half of the hearing reserved for advocates of the project told the supervisors that they supported the removal of the Mother's Beach project from the pipeline projects.

 The redevelopment proposal now goes to the California Coastal Commission, which has final authority over coastal development. County officials said they hoped to have the proposal in front of the California Coastal Commission in June.

Marina del Rey is in unincorporated Los Angeles County and is overseen by the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors. Long-term lessees operate the housing units, boat slips and commercial venues in the marina, including restaurants and hotels.

The marina's lessees are taxed and generate about $38 million annually for the cash-strapped county. The money goes to the county's general fund to pay for such items as law enforcement and health care programs, but some of it also goes to the Department of Beaches and Harbor for beach projects throughout the county.