New plans for The Dunes restaurants could get approved mid-February.

The dream is alive. 

Last September and into October, Monterey developer Scott Negri's plans for a restaurant and retail project next to The Dunes shopping center in Marina was shot down by Marina City Council in a 3-2 vote after three meetings and over six hours of public comment. 

For those who followed the process closely, it was excruciating in its length, and for those who supported the project, even more so. 

But in the run up to that defeat, Negri listened to City Council's concerns, mainly that his project was too auto-centric, not pedestrian-friendly and didn't have businesses facing the street. (They face the parking lot.) Also, there was the issue of two drive-thrus. 

In total, City Council found that it didn't jive the spirit of The Dunes Specific Plan, which emphasizes walkable, densely-built development.

Negri listened, and now he's back with new plans: In an email earlier today, Negri shared that his project has been redesigned to meet the city's density requirements in part by eliminating one of the drive-thrus, and he also increased the hang-out space and plans to make the buildings more accessible from the street. 

His project goes before Marina's Design Review Board Feb. 3, and if approved there, the Planning Commission Feb. 11. 

Per Negri's email:

Our development team has listened to the comments from the community, City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review Board and staff from previous plan reviews, and have made significant and substantive changes to the project in response.  Overall, these changes improve the project in several key ways: 

Improve the density and utilization of the property with increasing the [floor area ratio] to meet the 25% desired level; improve pedestrian access of the project to surrounding current and future land uses through additional access points and sidewalks; improve pedestrian access and increase the size of functional patio areas within the project site; reduce the number and size of retaining walls with modified grading; enhance the architectural treatment of buildings with additional windows and building articulation, improve pedestrian safety and walkability through removal of the second drive-thru and created more attraction for alternative transit modes to the site with a long term enclosed bicycle storage area.

If the Planning Commission approves Negri's project, and there are no appeals, construction will commence in March, and Negri hopes to open by the 2016. holiday season.