GARDEN GROVE : Council Backs Street Work--in Anaheim

Vowing to protect homes on the south side of Katella Avenue from the bulldozer, Garden Grove City Council members said they will go along with county plans to widen the street, but only if land for the expansion comes from the north side of Katella, which is in the city of Anaheim.

Pending cooperation from various cities, the Orange County Transportation Commission wants to designate Katella Avenue a “super-street,” which could mean widening the thoroughfare to handle more traffic, with bus turn-outs and right-turn-only lanes added and traffic signals synchronized. Katella is one of three streets being considered for funding and designation as a super-street. The others are Imperial Highway and Moulton Parkway.

This week, several Garden Grove residents told the council they did not want their homes on the south side of Katella knocked down for the project. But Lisa Mills, OCTC director of planning, told the council that bulldozing may not be confined to just one side.

“I know you’d be more comfortable if all the widening was done by taking from the north side,” Mills said. “And there are some good reasons to do that, but I can’t legally commit to that now.”

Nevertheless, the council voted 4 to 1 to approve the designation of Katella as a super-street but with the condition that the land be taken from the Anaheim side.

Only Councilman J. Tilman Williams refused to go along with the majority position.

“I can’t support this at all,” he said. “What we need is an alternative form of transportation. I don’t think that putting more and more cars on the streets is the answer. It’s just going to make it worse down the line.”

After the vote, Littrell told the audience, “What we did here tonight was kill (the project), because I don’t think that Anaheim can live with having all the land taken from its side.”