Anaheim Center Expansion Plan Unveiled

Moving to solidify its place as one of the nation’s premier tourist locations, Anaheim on Tuesday announced plans to nearly double the size of its convention center, a $150-million project that would make it one of the country’s largest such venues by the end of the decade.

The unveiling of the 29-year-old facility’s expansion project comes during a week in which the Walt Disney Co. is expected to disclose plans for a long-anticipated $1.4-billion companion park to Disneyland.

Together, the projects are portrayed as crucial to the region’s battle for a greater share of convention business and tourist dollars.

“An enhanced convention center combined with Disney’s intention to build a second theme park in Anaheim will place the city at the forefront of tourist and convention destination resorts for many years to come,” said Anaheim City Manager James D. Ruth.

The convention center, among the largest in the country, will keep its landmark dome-shaped arena--at least for now--but the rest of its image will be completely remade under the theme of “Southern California as Paradise.” The design features exotic landscaping, a picturesque stream, tramways and a grandiose new lobby.

After the first phase of construction--scheduled to begin next March and end by October 1999--only convention centers in Chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta will be larger.

“We need to have this,” said Disneyland President Paul Pressler. “The amenities that we will build are essential for the continued success of the convention business in Anaheim.”

Tourism officials said the city had no choice but to expand. About 60 organizations threatened not to return to Anaheim unless the convention center was expanded. Without an upgrade, officials said, the city would lose nearly $4 million a year.

“It’s not a pretty picture for the future,” said Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitors & Convention Bureau. “There is a sense of urgency to this. We can’t stay where we are.”

The convention center expansion was created by the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, the company responsible for designing the Pond--where Disney’s professional hockey team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, play--and other major sporting venues across the country. The city paid the firm $1.2 million to create a master plan for expanding the convention center over a 20-year period.

The first phase of the expansion, seen as the most critical for retaining current business, would add a total of 700,000 square feet, including 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and 160,000 square feet of meeting room space. The remainder would be hallways, lobbies, storage and service areas.

The existing 985,000-square-foot convention center and the major hotels around it sustain 16,000 area jobs, officials said.

The $150-million price tag for the first phase of the expansion includes construction costs of $120 million. The remaining $30 million will go toward professional and technical services, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and to pay fees for permits and abatement of asbestos.

Times staff writer Marla Dickerson also contributed to this story.