Anaheim’s Beautification Plan Not Without Flaws

The city’s ambitious plan to eliminate urban decay around Disneyland is not so grand to some people.

The $200-million to $300-million plan has drawn sharp criticism from two local school districts and officials in neighboring Garden Grove. Even the Walt Disney Co. has expressed some concerns.

Plans for “the Anaheim Resort,” as the city has dubbed the area, call for a massive overhaul of the 550 acres around the theme park as a companion to the proposed $3-billion Disneyland Resort. It would allow up to 16,000 new hotel rooms in the area, and would aim to encourage development, increase tax revenues and keep Anaheim competitive in the tourism industry.

The Planning Commission will hear public testimony on the plan during a special hearing Monday. But already, concerns about overcrowded schools, increased traffic and impacts on housing have been detailed in letters submitted to the city during a 45-day review period for the proposed plan and its environmental impacts.

Garden Grove was especially critical of the city’s environmental report, which identifies significant impacts that the new development could have on the area as millions of additional tourists come to the city.

In a July 29 letter, Garden Grove officials charged that there are “major deficiencies” in the report, because it does not address traffic congestion, increased crime, inadequate housing for hotel employees and impacts on police and fire services in that city.

“None of the issues as they affect Garden Grove are discussed in the EIR. It is as if the project impacts ended at the Anaheim city boundaries, which is clearly not the case,” the letter stated.

Two local school districts are also unhappy.

A law firm representing both the Anaheim City and the Anaheim Union High School districts submitted letters stating that the plan will be a significant drain on their finances and resources.

The districts contended that the plan will bring more students and cost them significantly more money than is indicated in the environmental report. They are asking that the discrepancies be resolved.

A portion of both letters stated: “While the city and private industry will benefit greatly from economic growth related to (the plan), public education will suffer tremendously. These burdens should not be borne by the schools, but by those individuals benefiting” from the development.

A similar dispute arose last year when the Anaheim City School District, the county’s largest elementary school district with 16,300 students, filed a lawsuit challenging the environmental findings for the proposed Disneyland Resort.

In its lawsuit, the district contended that the Disney expansion project would also further overcrowd their schools and drain limited resources. The district dropped the lawsuit after reaching an agreement that gives it $2 million upfront and additional income later.

Other school districts, including Anaheim Union, dropped their legal challenges in return for a commitment from Disney to provide various educational programs.

For its part, the Walt Disney Co., whose proposed project would be the driving economic force within the Anaheim Resort district, also had some concerns about the environmental report, although the company expressed its overall support of the plan in a July 29 letter.

The company requested that all property owners and developers within the Anaheim Resort area share the cost of improvements in transportation, fire and police services, water systems, sewers and storm drains.

The company contended in its letter that both its resort plan and the city’s plan will benefit the entire commercial area and that “therefore, the cost of the improvements should be distributed proportionally among all developers in the area.”

Under the city’s plan, only developers whose projects would attract a certain amount of traffic would be required to contribute to some of those costs.

Anaheim Planning Director Joel H. Fick said Friday that the city is confident that it has responded to concerns raised by Disney, the school districts, neighboring cities and others.

“We have carefully analyzed every comment on every issue that has been raised,” Fick said. “We believe they have been adequately addressed.”

City officials have said that their revitalization plan will go forward regardless of whether Disney goes through with its expansion, which would include a second theme park and thousands of hotel rooms.

The Anaheim Resort district includes Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center and most of the area’s high-rise hotels. It is roughly triangular in shape and is bounded by Orangewood Avenue to the south, Walnut Street to the west, Haster Street to the east and the Santa Ana Freeway running diagonally to the north.

The area would be heavily landscaped with wide walkways and plants. Overhead utility lines would be buried. Businesses in the area would also be encouraged to have understated signs.

“We really believe this is a monumental step forward for the city and will enhance one of the most important areas in the community and the county at large,” Fick said.