Orange : City May Move Toward High-Rise Construction

Like its neighbor Anaheim, Orange is looking toward high-rise developments in its city.

Tonight, City Council members are scheduled to take the first step toward conducting a study similar to one undertaken in Anaheim, where officials last week gave their final nod to interim developer fees in an area near the Anaheim Stadium.

Orange officials tonight will consider a request for a study on the impact such high-rise developments would have on the community, City Manager William Little said.

Once a consultant is hired, the study will cover the area west of the Orange Freeway, except for residential zones, said Ron Thompson, Orange economic development director.

The land surrounding Anaheim Stadium has attracted companies by its location near major freeways and its accessibility to a large labor pool and affordable housing, developers and city officials have said.

To pay for the street changes and other improvements that will need to accompany the office towers in Anaheim, City Council members last week levied a $4.12 fee for every square foot of new building space.

If Orange council members give their approval tonight, the city can move ahead with its proposal to conduct a Southwest Orange Land Use Strategy Study, which will help determine what the area will look like, what impacts on traffic the developments will have and how much developers should contribute toward such improvements as streets and sewers.