City Sues City Over Riverwalk Plan

Anaheim has filed a lawsuit to block construction of a $450-million entertainment complex in nearby Garden Grove.

The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, contends that the project, called Riverwalk, would put undue strain on the storm drain network shared by the two cities.

“Garden Grove’s approval of the project was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” the lawsuit states. “The current storm drain network is insufficient to accommodate runoff, and . . . flooding is a regular occurrence.”

Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater downplayed the lawsuit Wednesday, saying it would not affect his city’s plans for a 53-acre entertainment and retail area along Harbor Boulevard. “I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Broadwater said.

But Garden Grove Councilman Bob Dinsen said the action may be payback for an earlier challenge, filed two years ago, in which Garden Grove raised concerns about Anaheim’s ongoing redevelopment of the area around Disneyland.

“We felt that a lot of our major intersections would be impacted with traffic,” Dinsen said. “Offhand, it appears they’re just getting back at us.”

Thomas F. Winfield, an attorney representing Anaheim, said there was no payback motive in the lawsuit, which was filed Oct. 9. “Clearly, that’s not the case,” he said. “There are technical issues regarding storm drain capacity that both cities have worked toward resolving in the past. The city of Anaheim believes that this is something that will easily be worked out.”

The Riverwalk project, which would be the largest in Garden Grove’s history, would replace aging homes and businesses along Harbor Boulevard and Buaro Street between Chapman Avenue and Garden Grove Boulevard.

It would feature a 40-foot-wide canal encircling, among other things, trendy eateries, shops, theaters, an ice-skating rink, virtual reality arcade and bowling alley.

The complex, one city official said earlier this year, is “intended to provide an alternative experience for visitors to Disneyland.”

Construction was expected to begin by December.