- Joined
- Jan 3, 2001
Disneyland housing dispute deepens
April 27, 2007: 12:03 PM EST
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - A coalition of businesses and politicians supported by Walt Disney Co. announced a coordinated effort against a bid to build housing -- including a few hundred low-income units -- at the gates of The Happiest Place on Earth.
The move came Thursday, two days after the City Council approved a zoning change that paves the way for 1,500 condominiums just blocks from Disneyland and across the street from Disney-owned land that could one day hold another amusement park. The development would include about 225 low-income units.
The 3-2 vote has created an uproar in Anaheim, which worked hard with Disney's encouragement to create and build a specially zoned resort district around the theme park and has mostly followed the company's wishes over the years.
Mayor Curt Pringle, who joined the anti-housing coalition Thursday, unveiled a petition for a referendum that would overturn the council's vote and called on Anaheim residents to volunteer as signature gatherers.
The referendum is different than a ballot initiative the coalition is already pursuing. That measure would require residents to vote on every housing project proposed inside the 2.2-square-mile resort district.
'We're asking Anaheim residents to do something very important and that is to overturn the City Council's vote,' said Pringle, who was one of two members to vote against the zoning change. 'I hope every Anaheim resident joins this coalition.' If the group can gather 30,000 signatures within a month, any development -- including the controversial project -- would be frozen until the February 2008 election, Pringle said. That isn't the case with the initiative, he said.
Housing advocates favored the zoning change, saying low-income units are desperately needed by workers who keep Disneyland buzzing but can't afford to live nearby.
Disneyland and the coalition, called Save Our Anaheim Resort, argued changing the zoning will destroy the tourism-only resort district, which generates half the city's annual revenue. Disneyland is the city's largest employer and pumps $3.6 billion into the Southern California economy each year.
Walt Disney Co. has also filed a lawsuit against the city over environmental issues tied to the zoning change.
'We support the referendum fully,' said Rob Doughty, spokesman for Disneyland. 'It's important to the taxpayers of Anaheim because this is the largest single funding source in the city.'