Anaheim : Motel Plan Approved Over Neighbors’ Protests

Over the objections of residents of nearby condominiums, city officials Tuesday voted to allow construction of a three-story motel on Beach Boulevard.

The City Council voted 4 to 1 in support of the Planning Commission’s recommendation for the 75-unit motel planned for 705 S. Beach Blvd.

Cindy Stanaker, president of the Wind Rivers Condominium Assn., protested the proposed motel, which she said would infringe upon the privacy of the condominium residents.

“The view out the living room and kitchen windows for over half of our condominiums is of the property in question,” she wrote officials in a letter accompanied by a petition signed by 73 of the condominium residents.

In addition to the perceived problems of increased traffic, light and noise, “the prostitution problem is great,” Stanaker told the council in a public hearing on the plan Tuesday. “This is going to be right outside our front door. We won’t be able to escape it.”

Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood agreed with the condominium owners and voted against the project, saying it would not enhance the “living environment in any way.”

John Swint, who represents the motel property owners, said he didn’t foresee the problems that the residents expect, and that the motel’s landscaping will form a buffer zone between it and neighbors. Swint noted that the area is zoned for commercial projects. “I would like to see evidence that free enterprise still exists,” Swint told the council members before they voted.