Anaheim : Play Area Approved for Jeffrey-Lynne

Children living in Anaheim’s Jeffrey-Lynne area behind Disneyland will soon have a new place to play, ending years of hazardous street recreation in the tiny, crowded neighborhood.

Just this month, a child playing in the streets was hit by a car, and although he was not harmed, the accident renewed pleas from the community for a safer play area.

“It’s real close to home for a lot of parents--the need for a park,” said Anita Castro-Zvoda, director of the neighborhood’s community center.

Earlier last week, city officials approved a long-delayed plan to close off one of the neighborhood streets to traffic and convert it into a play area.

Audre Drive, between Jeffrey and Hampstead streets, will be limited to pedestrian traffic. Play equipment and shrubbery will replace asphalt.

Construction, scheduled to begin in February, will take less than a month, officials said.

Residents who attended a neighborhood meeting last week voiced concerns about the safety of the park in the neighborhood, which was once a haven for drug dealers and gang members.

Residents said they were also concerned about losing parking spaces on Audre Drive, once it becomes a park. Many families renting apartments in the densely populated neighborhood said their landlords charge them rent to park in the apartment garages, and rather than pay the additional fees, they park in the streets.

“The reality is we’re going to lose some parking places, and there’s going to be some obvious parking problems,” said Castro-Zvoda. She said she hopes to work with the landlords to make the garages more affordable for the residents.

The play area on Audre Drive has been a dream since residents first organized and began lobbying the city to help take better care of their neighborhood a few years ago.

The park will not be grassy when first constructed but will include potted trees and play equipment such as swings. It may also include a temporary community center.

If the first, one-year phase of the park is successful, without problems due to parking or a return of gang or drug activity, the city will close the street, plant grass and build a permanent community center.