Big Questions Loom as Anaheim Shapes Future : Development: Will the Rams stay? Will Disneyland expand? Answers will affect city for generations.

The time has come for dreams to become decisions.

Just as Disneyland, the Convention Center and Anaheim Stadium transformed the city’s image a generation ago, Anaheim’s destiny may forever be shaped over the next few months by an assortment of crucial decisions and fanciful projects.

Will the Walt Disney Co. build its massive resort? Will the Rams skip town? And the more important question: How can the city maintain its coveted reputation as a tourism and professional sports mecca?

“This is definitely a key time for the city,” Assistant City Manager Dave Morgan said. “These type of decisions probably only come around every 30 years or so and can change the direction of a city for generations.”

Whatever Disney and the Rams decide, it’s clear the city won’t be passive about its future.

City officials are seriously studying whether to build a lavish sports complex that would convert the Big A to a football-only stadium, provide a new ballpark for the Angels, add restaurants, stores and a virtual reality entertainment center and connect them around a park-like setting of canals and landscaping.

Officials aren’t wholly sure how they would make the ideas work, or if they’re even feasible. But to Anaheim’s dreamers, the plans are anything but far-fetched.

“Everything we accomplished in the past could have been looked at as pie in the sky, and look at what’s happened,” said Irv Pickler, who just departed as councilman. “Anaheim hasn’t scratched the surface yet. . . . The sky is the limit in Anaheim. There are so many things we can do in this city.”

“I think you’re going to see some dramatic changes in Anaheim in the next 60 to 90 days,” said Bob D. Simpson, whose term as councilman also ended this month.

Among other options the city is considering:

* Handing over the management and operations of its 27-year-old Convention Center to a private operator and giving the dome-shaped landmark a massive renovation and enlargement before the end of the decade.

* Creating a sports authority to oversee The Pond and the two stadiums. Through such an authority, the city could encourage the participation of county government both managerially and financially. County funding and other additional sources of public or private financing could prove crucial to the project.

* Linking the Disneyland area to the proposed sports complex by a light-rail or monorail system.

The city already has set into motion a $172-million urban face lift of the area surrounding Disneyland, which will include lush landscaping, wider streets, underground utility lines and uniform signage. With that project underway, city officials say they are now focusing on the property around Anaheim Stadium.

The goal, they say, is to convert that area from primarily an office building complex to a thriving sports and entertainment playground that will be directly linked to Disneyland and the city’s profitable Convention Center market.

One of the entertainment venues, officials say, might be a trendy “virtual reality” center stocked with newfangled computer simulation games. City officials emphasize that their plans are extremely preliminary and conceptual. More important, city planners have not figured out how to pay for such daunting projects.

But investment from the private sector, especially Disney, would seem to be key to the city’s success.

City officials hope that Disney officials will not only move forward on the $3-billion Disneyland expansion, but also will see the potential financial opportunities that could be opened up to them if they became partners with the city in the sports complex concept.

Walt Disney Chairman Michael D. Eisner said he expects to make a decision “very soon” on whether to go ahead with the expansion.

But some are growing frustrated.

Frank Elfend, a City Hall lobbyist who represents hotel developers in the Disneyland area, said “there is a growing sense in the community that something has to happen, thumbs up or thumbs down” on the Disney project. Hotel developers are waiting with plans to expand if Disney does, but are tired of waiting--upward of two years now--for the company to make a decision.

City officials certainly haven’t given up on Disney, or on its connection to the stadium area.

In high-level strategy meetings, city officials envision an Anaheim where tourists check into local hotels for days, visit Disneyland and the proposed Westcot theme parks, attend a Mighty Ducks hockey game one night and Rams football game the next, while filling time in between by shopping in local stores and dining in local restaurants.

“It’s an exciting idea,” said Jeff Farano, president of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. “You have a big piece of property and the only thing on it is a stadium. They’ve got to do something to create extra business.”

Such a scenario may not be all that far-fetched for Disney, which currently has Disneyland and the Mighty Ducks to anchor the ends of the ambitious project.

Disney officials say that the Ducks have exceeded expectations, both financially and in their performance on the ice, and that the company is interested in pursuing new team sports.

Eyebrows and hopes were raised recently around City Hall when Eisner was spotted at a Los Angeles Clippers game with team owner Donald Sterling. Disney officials dismissed speculation that they were interested in buying the team.

“We have high expectations and high requirements regarding our investments,” said Mighty Ducks President Tony Tavares. “Everything has to be in proper order for us. The planets have to be in proper position.”

Disney officials also say they haven’t closed the door on participating in sports complex development, which could also include hotels and a restaurant row.

“I never rule anything out,” said Kenneth P. Wong, senior vice president of Disney’s development division. He said he is constantly amazed by the Anaheim’s progressive spirit. “It’s the hub of family entertainment in Southern California. . . . Can you think of another city like it? I can’t.”

If Disney doesn’t get involved in the sports complex, some city officials say privately that the opportunities could then be offered to a Disney competitor, such as a Universal Studios or MGM.

But even before city officials line up developers and partners for the sports complex, they have to make sure there will be professional teams to fill the stadiums.

Currently, city officials are struggling to put together a deal that will prevent the Rams from fleeing the city. Part of that deal involves remodeling the existing Anaheim Stadium for football only.

Most city officials expect the team to make a decision by the end of the year, but even if the Rams leave, city officials still believe they could attract another National Football League franchise.

Meanwhile, the city is in the middle of negotiations with the California Angels to extend the team’s lease and build them a new baseball-only stadium, probably in the parking lot of the current stadium.

City officials have said stadium projects could be financed with the help of redevelopment funds, which were made possible after the stadium area was declared a redevelopment district because of damage sustained during the Northridge earthquake in January. Another possible funding method could be a surcharge on tickets to sporting events.

“I think there’s a good potential for the Angels and a new stadium. And that would leave us the Anaheim Stadium to get ready for football,” Pickler said. “Who knows? Maybe we could get some Canadian football or Tampa Bay. I understand there’s a couple of teams not happy with their situation.”

Richard Brown, the Angels president, said he is optimistic an agreement with the city will be reached before the end of the year that will keep the team in Anaheim in a new baseball-only stadium.

“I would say we’re fairly close. There are some key issues we have to readdress, but both sides want it to go forward, and when that’s the case, it usually does move forward,” Brown said.

He even speculated that the city could host the 1999 All-Star baseball game with its new stadium.

Frank Bryant, a Save the Rams member and president of the Rams Booster Club, said he supports the sports complex concept in Anaheim.

“I think it would enhance tourism, which is what we’d like to do in the county, not just rely on Disneyland and Knott’s,” Bryant said. “A sports tourist is a good tourist and it’s better for county to have wide range of tourist attractions.”

Added Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau: “The visitor industry is paramount to the future of the city, (which) has to make some investments to move forward and capture that opportunity.”

Times staff writers Greg Hernandez and Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.