Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS : CITIES : Westdome Developers Shoot for Anaheim Site, NBA Franchise

A $40-million sports arena, unwelcome by residents in Santa Ana, “has finally found a home,” its planners said last week in announcing plans to build in Anaheim.

The 20,000-seat domed arena known as Westdome now is targeted for a site southwest of Anaheim Stadium under an agreement between Anaheim city officials and the Westdome Partners, a group of four developers who hope to bring a basketball team to Orange County. Also part of the new pact was Nick Mileti, former owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Mileti said he had posted a $100,000 fee with the National Basketball Assn. and plans to apply for a franchise. The announcement came just days before the 23 NBA team owners meet in Phoenix to discuss whether to allow one or more expansion franchises into the league.

Last year, Westdome Partners had signed a preliminary agreement with the City of Santa Ana to locate the arena there, but stiff opposition from local residents to two proposed sites led the Santa Ana City Council to reject both.

The preliminary agreement announced last week still faces obstacles including property owners who say they do not want to sell to make way for an arena. But officials expressed optimism that construction can begin as early as next summer and the arena could be ready for the 1988-89 basketball season should the bid for a team succeed.

However, Donald Oliphant, one of the Westdome partners, said plans will proceed with or without a team.

“I absolutely can get along without it,” Oliphant said, adding that the arena “could even work better” with more open dates for concerts and events such as ice hockey games and trade shows.