Anaheim : Development Fees to Be Levied in Stadium Area

Developers planning new projects near Anaheim Stadium will have to pay an additional fee of $4.12 per square foot of building space but will be exempted from future fees the city may set for the area, City Council members agreed Tuesday.

The interim fee was approved to pay for added sewers, street changes and other improvements that will be necessary as more high-rise office developments move into the area.

“We see the (area) as being one of the most important issues this council has dealt with all year,” Mayor Don Roth said.

City officials estimated that needed improvements will cost the city about $131 million. A consultant has recommended that the city undertake several major studies, including a master environmental impact report and a master traffic and circulation plan.

The reports, which would help determine how to finance the new infrastructure, may take up to two years.

Assistant Planning Director Joel H. Fick said the $4.12-per-square-foot interim fee was proposed to “assure continued, uninterrupted development while requiring current developers to contribute their fair share” until the studies are completed.

While approving the interim fee Tuesday, council members also approved a resolution exempting developers subject to the interim fee from having to pay into future permanent financing programs, such as assessment districts.

The area affected by the fee is the Anaheim Stadium Business Center, bounded on the south by the city limits, on the east by the Santa Ana River channel, on the west by the Santa Ana Freeway and on the north by a Southern California Edison Co. easement that lies between Katella and Cerritos avenues.

Developers whose site plans have already been approved will pay a lower fee, $2.10. Developers of a few other projects that meet certain zoning criteria will pay $1.05 per square foot.

In a related issue, the council passed a resolution urging the City Council in neighboring Orange to “use all planning efforts” to avoid potential problems that may arise from projects it is developing.