Landscaping Decision Put Off Until Tuesday

A decision regarding $1.2 million in landscaping proposed for the City Hall plaza and the nearby traffic circle on West Harbor Place has been postponed until Tuesday by the City Council.

Mayor Tom Daly directed the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency this week to provide the council with more information on how the landscaping would fit in with Anaheim’s master plan for revitalizing the downtown area.

Councilman Bob Zemel said the top priority should be moving ahead with the Downtown Community Center project, not adding landscaping to the City Hall area.

City Manager James D. Ruth pointed out that construction of the community center is scheduled to begin in September and be completed a year later. The $8-million first phase of the center, to be built on Philadelphia Street between Center Street and Broadway, would include a gymnasium, an arts center and space for senior activities.

The proposed landscaping would include a shaded area northwest of the City Hall entrance that would serve as an informal gathering place and as a location for special events.

Plans also call for the construction of a tree-lined walkway that would extend diagonally from West Harbor Place and Anaheim Boulevard to Center Street. In addition, palm trees would be planted along Anaheim Boulevard between City Hall and City Hall West.

Improvements on the West Harbor Place traffic circle next to the Disney Ice skating complex would include a ground cover of flowering plants and an evergreen tree that would be decorated for the community’s holiday celebration in December.