Updated Planning Among Mayor’s Goals

Launching a city planning system that preserves neighborhood identity and keeping the massive Santa Ana Freeway widening project on schedule are among Mayor Tom Daly’s major goals for 1996.

The goal of the planning system, which could be considered by the City Council as early as this month, is to create “cohesive, identifiable and proud neighborhoods with high standards,” Daly said in a recent interview.

By dividing Anaheim into roughly 30 areas for planning purposes, the mayor said, City Hall would be able to work more effectively with residents to address their specific problems.

“In one neighborhood it may be too much through traffic,” Daly said.

“In another neighborhood it may be a need for an additional playground. It will be up to the community residents to decide.”

Though all of Anaheim would benefit, Daly said, the effect would be especially pronounced in west and central Anaheim and along State College Boulevard.

“Part of this is to bring state-of-the-art community planning to older neighborhoods,” Daly said. “There will be some cost involved with this, but it’s well worth it.”

“Planned communities work pretty well,” the mayor said,, adding that “there’s a reason” people want to live in communities such as Anaheim Hills, Tustin Ranch and Irvine.

Another major focus for Daly this year will be the Santa Ana Freeway project. Construction is scheduled to begin in December on the $1-billion Anaheim portion and to continue through the year 2000.

The freeway work will be disruptive but “very beneficial. . . . It will set the stage for revitalization at eight major intersections,” Daly said. “It will be four years of unfortunate pain followed by many years of prosperity and gain.”

Widening the freeway from three lanes to five in each direction is especially important to a city “so linked with tourism,” Daly said. “We need to make it as easy as possible to get to Anaheim.”