4 Potential Arena Sites in Anaheim Revealed

Anaheim is considering four prime sites for an indoor sports arena that would house the county’s first National Basketball Assn. team and may choose a developer as early as Tuesday, city officials said.

City Manager Bob Simpson said these four sites are being considered:

- The southwest corner of Tustin and La Palma avenues.

- A vacant lot in downtown Anaheim at the corner of Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway, former site of the Pickwick Hotel.

- Site of a proposed county jail, north of Katella Avenue and near the Orange Freeway.

- The northeast corner of State College Boulevard and Orangewood Avenue, near Anaheim Stadium.

Anaheim Councilman Irv Pickler, who is on the Westdome Advisory Committee that is making the sports arena decisions, said a developer would be picked before a site is chosen.

Pickler, who confirmed that the four sites are being considered, declined to disclose two of the three investment groups most active in competing to organize the arena’s construction and management. The third group is Westdome, a developer that was among the earliest proponents of an arena for pro basketball.

Though the site chosen will be subject to extensive studies, many aspects of the proposed locations are obvious, Simpson said.

The Tustin-La Palma avenues corner is heavily congested with traffic, Simpson said.

Land Owned by Railroad

The land is owned by the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which plans to develop it, Pickler said.

The proposed jail site is owned by the county, said Pickler, who added that construction of a jail cannot begin until the county files a new environmental impact report.

The area near Anaheim Stadium would include use of the stadium’s parking but would have to schedule games and events around the California Angels and the Los Angeles Rams, he said.

The land also has three private owners who must be considered in scheduling National Basketball Assn. games, he said, assuming that Anaheim can land an NBA franchise.

The city has to consider availability of traffic entrances and exits, willingness of investors to enter into the venture and economic factors, Simpson said.

He stressed that when the city begins exclusive talks with one developer, there is still no commitment to accept that developer’s proposal.

Selection Could Take Years

Once a proposal is accepted, he said, selection of a site could take years: “We’re talking some long, drawn-out negotiations. Despite the long amount of time (already), we are still in preliminary discussions.”

Pickler said the best options are the proposed jail site and the land near Anaheim Stadium. But a final decision will be made after the chosen developer organizes a group to study the areas.

“They’ve got to put a team together,” he said. “We’re not talking about peanuts, we’re talking about millions of dollars.”