LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) A company that wants to build a hotel and retail center near the Queen Mary said it plans to exercise an option to buy majority interest in the ship's operating company by the end of next month.
Bandero LLC, a Nevada-based company that last year bought 24 percent of the ship's operating company, intends to buy a 75 percent stake in the Queen's Seaport Development Inc., which leases the historic ship from the city.
Some residents are concerned that the Queen Mary may be turned into a casino but Joe Prevratil, president and chief executive of Queen's Seaport Development, said the prospective new owners would not turn the vessel into a gambling enterprise.
Bandero has discussed building a marina, a high-end hotel, an international retail center and a time-share complex next to the ship, Prevratil said.
``We are currently doing background checking on Bandero and have the right to refuse consent if it is not in the best interests of the citizens of Long Beach,'' City Attorney Robert Shannon said.
Under the terms of the lease, the city has 45 days to approve or deny the ownership transfer. The city has not received a formal transfer notice from the development company that is needed to start the process.
| In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors. |