ANAHEIM : Homeowners Defeat Apartment Complex

Arguing that their older West Anaheim neighborhood has been overrun by apartment developments in recent years, members of a homeowners association persuaded the City Council to reject a proposed 334-unit complex.

Members of the Orange Avenue Homeowners Assn. cited increased traffic, noise and other ill-effects of overcrowding as reasons to retain the single-family orientation of the area.

“We’re talking about density. We’re not against people making money on their project,” said Ruth Good, a member of the group who is also a Magnolia School District board member.

The council voted 5 to 0 against the project, which would have placed a three- or four-story building on 9.2 acres on Magnolia Avenue just north of Lincoln Avenue. The council also voted unanimously to rezone the property so that fewer housing units per lot will be allowed in the future.

The group is now gearing up to fight the next major project that residents say threatens the quality of life in their neighborhood: a condominium complex that would place 17 units on four acres.

“We’ve got so many apartments. Our area is getting so built up,” Good said. “Things have just snowballed. I just want my little piece of the pie to still have a nice feel to it.”