Final Decision on Park Still in the Future

The announcement that Anaheim is the preferred site for Disney’s next theme park sets the stage for intense negotiations on nearly every aspect of the huge new development around Disneyland. But the leading topic of discussion, officials say, is sure to be money: How much will the city contribute, how and when.

“Many hurdles lie ahead before Disney can make a final decision to build the project,” said Disney Development Co. president Peter Rummell.

Even as Disney looks for freeway improvements, public parking garages, tax revenue bonds and other assistance, Anaheim officials face the daunting challenge of keeping Disney’s demands for civic improvements and public financing to a minimum.

“Now the negotiations will get real serious and we will get down to brass tacks,” said Councilman Tom Daly. “The negotiations have dealt in concepts up until now.”

Many questions are yet to be answered. Disney released an economic study of the project earlier this year that promised the creation of 17,500 permanent jobs and $1.2 billion in annual economic benefits to the city. Anaheim, however, is still analyzing the validity of Disney’s economic claims.

Likewise, an environmental impact report on the project is due to be released by Disney next spring. From it, the public will be able to try to calculate whether the burdens of the project--more noise, construction inconvenience, increased traffic and pollution--outweigh the benefits.

Some residents aren’t sure. “When they get that thing done, traffic will be doubled,” said Curtis Stricker, president of Anaheim HOME, a group of residents near Disneyland. “They are are going to have twice as many people there. Not all people are going to drive off the freeway and into the garages.”

Disney will also need to solidify its plans for freeway on- and off-ramps that would feed into the largest parking structures ever built, capable of housing about 30,000 vehicles. State Department of Transportation spokesman Albert Miranda said that his agency is still assessing where to tap the money to pay for the freeway improvements.

About $15 million was appropriated for car-pool lanes on the Santa Ana Freeway in a transportation bill approved by Congress two weeks ago. While far less than proponents wanted, it was considered a step in the right direction.

Disney still wants to acquire some of the aging hotels and other small businesses on the edges of the park to proceed with its project. It has also been trying to purchase a large strawberry field near Disneyland. The company has said it wants the field for “future expansion,” which observers euphemistically believe means a third theme park.

Disney is also expecting the city to follow through on its commitment to bury a series of high-voltage power lines that run across the Disneyland parking lot.

Allan Hughes, executive director of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, who calls the project “probably the best thing that has ever happened to Anaheim,” said he expects that a number of small businesses could be displaced. But he said he expects that those businesses would be compensated and that the overall business community will ultimately benefit.

But Anaheim officials are enthusiastic about the ability to resolve any differences over the next year.

Councilman William D. Ehrle, for instance, said he believes that the city can provide landscaping and other buffers to keep the residential sections of the city apart from the project.

“This isn’t going to be built tomorrow. We are going to have a lot of time to plan this,” he added.

Said Councilman Irv Pickler: “We’re going to resolve all the little roadblocks we have.”