Orange, Melodyland Request More Time to Evaluate Disney Expansion : Impact: Both entities seek more than 45 days to study report. Anaheim officials won’t budge from deadline.

The city of Orange and Melodyland Christian Center have joined several other groups in asking that Anaheim officials allow more time for review of the environmental impact report for Disneyland’s $3-billion expansion project.

In separate letters to the city, officials of Orange and Melodyland complained that the current 45-day review schedule is not enough time to study the 2,300-page document, especially with holidays falling in that period.

But Anaheim Deputy City Manager Tom Wood said Wednesday: “We’re holding to the 45 days.”

Anaheim officials have rebuffed similar requests for more time from Garden Grove officials and Anaheim’s two school districts.

Disney officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but they have said in the past that extending the review period is an issue for city officials to decide.

Franklyn R. Elfend, who has been representing Melodyland in its talks with the city and Walt Disney Co., said that the request for more time was not meant “to be adversarial.”

He said the document is confusing and appears to contradict itself in certain sections that apply to the Melodyland property.

That property, under Disney’s expansion plans, would be the site of a multistory parking structure. Disney officials, however, have said that the property is not necessary and the parking lot could be built around Melodyland.

Elfend said that his clients would oppose any multistory parking structure that would bring noise and air pollution to Melodyland. They also don’t think the structure is compatible next to a church, he said.

But the most immediate problem facing the church is inadequate time to review the document, Elfend said.

“The issue of this project should not be the amount of time for the public review process,” Elfend said. “I don’t understand why they don’t grant it. . . . This is putting us in a very unfortunate position.”

Earlier this week, an attorney for the Anaheim City and Anaheim Union High School districts said the report underestimated, by 576, the number of students coming to the districts and underestimated the costs by more than $19 million.

The deadline to respond to the draft document is Dec. 28. Although it is the city’s document, Disney paid for it. The final report, which is mandated by law, must take into account written public comments and answer questions raised about the project. The minimum review time mandated by law for a project of this size is 45 days.

The final report must be approved by the City Council before construction can begin. Also standing in the way of the development is Disney’s own wavering commitment to the expansion project.

Disney officials have said that a decision on whether to proceed with construction will depend on the economic feasibility of the project.

Under the proposed plans, the expansion would consist of three new hotels, a second theme park called Westcot Center, garden and retail districts, a 5,000-seat amphitheater and two of the nation’s largest parking structures.