ANAHEIM : Council Rejects Condo Proposal

Chalk up a victory for members of the Anaheim Hills Citizen Coalition, who successfully lobbied the City Council to save a section of the hills from what they argued was a too densely planned condominium project.

Council members voted 5 to 0 Tuesday against the 152-unit project after being deadlocked on the issue following a public hearing at their last meeting. About 150 residents again donned red arm bands and packed the council chambers to show their opposition.

“I think it worked out best for everybody,” said Patrick Pepper, chairman of the coalition.

The housing project would have required a change in the city’s general plan to allow up to 16 dwellings per acre, rather than six. Nearby homeowners said the project was too dense for the hills area and might pose traffic problems.

Despite the developer’s earlier argument that the hills needs more affordable housing, such as condominiums, Mayor Fred Hunter, who had supported the group earlier, again agreed with its concerns.

“I think this is the cleaner way to do it,” Hunter said. “If it comes back to us, it would be new rather than tinkering with something that I think will have a terrible time.”

The project was planned for an odd-shaped, 10.5-acre parcel, just north of the interchange for the Costa Mesa and Riverside freeways, and just east of Riverdale Avenue.