Orange County Vice Chair Katrina Foley stood alone Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting in Santa Ana, failing to draw a second for her motion to approve three 66-year Dana Point Harbor ground leases that remain stalled over provisions she introduced at the last minute in June.
After questioning developer Bob Olson about employees who could lose their jobs when the existing Marina Inn closes, Foley acknowledged during the official meeting broadcast that her motion lacked support.
“I didn’t get a second to my motion as a result,” Foley said.
Supervisor Don Wagner objected to provisions allowing the county to use hotel event space without paying standard fees and said negotiations had not produced an acceptable agreement.
“We aren’t there yet, which is why this motion fails today,” Wagner said.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento also declined to support immediate approval, citing verbal assurances offered during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I just think, you know, it is very hard to have commitments made at a podium without seeing something in writing, and I just don’t feel comfortable doing that,” Sarmiento said.
The county’s staff report said the lease restructuring is needed to secure independent hotel financing. It placed total redevelopment costs at $705.3 million, more than double the original $337.8 million projection, and said the agreements require four-fifths approval.
Before moving the item, Foley said approval would allow the county to continue negotiating community benefits while advancing the hotels.
“The responsible path now is to move the hotels forward, keep the county at the table to advocate for all of the user groups that are at the harbor,” Foley said.
The project would replace the Marina Inn with a 169-room select-service hotel and a 130-room full-service hotel. The California Coastal Commission approved the hotel framework in 2024, and the Dana Point Planning Commission approved the project permits in 2025.
