In a plan that would finally bring restaurants to southern Marina, the devil’s in the details.

When developer Scott Negri closed escrow in January on a 3.7-acre parcel on the The Dunes on Monterey Bay in Marina, there was hope the area would finally get something it’s long lacked: restaurants.

Then things got complicated.

In the past six months, Negri’s site plan has changed more than 30 times as he wrestles to please both prospective tenants and the city of Marina. Add to that, he’s had to work within restrictions of operating easement agreements (OEA) with nearby big-box stores Best Buy and Target.

As part of its lease with Marina Community Partners, the development firm behind the greater Dunes project, Best Buy’s OEA ensures a view corridor to its store will be maintained from Second Avenue. Target’s OEA dictates that any development on Negri’s property must have sufficient parking so as to not impact the sprawling, mostly empty parking lot adjacent to the box stores.

That means Marina, whose general plan specifically seeks to increase density in future development, faces a difficult choice: Approve a low density, auto-centric retail development that would provide much-needed restaurants in the area, or risk losing the project altogether.

The choice comes after many of Marina’s city councilmembers and planning commissioners attended the Fort Ord Reuse Authority’s Regional Urban Design Guidelines seminars last winter and spring.

The guidelines are still being drafted, but some of the key takeaways were that cities should promote dense, walkable neighborhoods with front-facing businesses.

“We need the restaurants and retail for different, important reasons,” says Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. “But is something better than nothing, or should we insist on something of really great design? That’s the quandary.”

The Marina Planning Commission approved the project May 28, with Planning Commissioner Margaret Davis being the sole voice of dissent.

“The problem with Marina is that it’s spread out to kingdom come, everything is strewn,” she said. “Marina is looking for a new model now.”

The project heads back to the Planning Commission Aug. 4, when an amendment the city’s general plan will be proposed that designates the site from multi-use to retail/service, as well as decreases the density requirement on the property. If it passes, it heads to City Council Aug. 18.

“If the city says no, there’s no project,” Negri says. “If the city makes me put together a site plan that no tenants want to go on, there’s no project either.”

Negri has already inked leases with Chipotle, Blaze Pizza, Deli Delicious, Menchies Yogurt, Teriyaki Madness, Verizon and Sports Clips. He also has a deal with Starbucks that gives them a drive-thru, and says two other tenants are in final negotiations. One of them, which Negri declined to name, will only sign off if they are promised a drive-thru.