Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains Funny thing this morning - I live in the SF bay area and while watching our local news channel I was reading the ticker that goes across the bottom and the ticker read "Anaheim City Counsel votes for low income housing next to Disneyland" It didn't mention it was only for 15% - so the media has now twisted this to make it look like DL is trying to block low income housing not all housing....
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 "I Hope Disney does whatever it needs to do too win this...I hope they take all the options they have and fight untill the bitter end" I hope the same thing.
Originally Posted By tuknshak I too agree. Low income or any housing for that fact is totally fine but you don't stick it within a stone toss from Disneyland - one of the US's most famous amusement parks. The city of Anaheim should take their head out of the sand - they wouldn't be anything if Disneyland wasn't there and as others have said many cities would die to have a cash cow like Disneyland within their city limits. I hope Disney fights to the bitter end and wins this battle.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> I can't help but thing some of the people in Anaheim feel like disney pulled a "bait-and-switch"...I still think the City Council's vote was wrong. << I totally agree. DCA, in its own way, is about as embarrassing, non-prestigious and disappointing as anything conjured up by a developer of low-income housing. DisCo started the ball rolling in the wrong direction back in March 2001, and even before then, when plans for the 2nd park in Anaheim were being dreamt up -- in the manner of a humdrum, this-is-a-chore corporate retreat -- at a weekend conference in Aspen, Colorado.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster The people of Anaheim rejected Disney's WestCot plans. Disney scaled back their plans for the resort, in part, due to the city's resistance to such radical change. Then DCA was built. It wasn't a big hit at first but is now hitting its stride. A bunch of new hotels were built down the street in Garden Grove and they're all doing great. In Anaheim hotel occupancy is way up. Gardenwalk is under construction. Disney is expanding their parks and resort hotels. The Anaheim Resort District is on the verge of booming and then the city foolishly tries to slow it down? Madness. A third park will be impossible to build if these homes are built. How much money will the city lose then? It's madness.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf I still think this is all a tactic by the city to force Disney to make profitable use of the land they own. While it sits there undeveloped, it is not generating much revenue for the city. I think that if Disney changes its approach by countering with a development plan of their own for that area then Anaheim residents will be wooed back over to the Disney side. Simply fighting the battle on legal/zoning grounds isn't going to be successful. It's difficult to visualize the effects of rezoning. But Disney-drawn sketches and plans of a new theme park would certainly have a profound effect. Let's face it, people want to say "wow". Fight emotion(sympathy for the low-income families) with another emotion (excitement).
Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/anaheimhills/article_1672223.php" target="_blank">http://www.ocregister.com/ocre gister/news/local/anaheimhills/article_1672223.php</a> (Selected paragraphs only) >>A Disney-led business coalition on Thursday launched a referendum to toss out the City Council's approval of residential zoning near its theme parks. The coalition, called Save Our Anaheim Resort, took out petitions for the measure just one day after the council's 3-2 vote on the plan that could pave the way for developer SunCal to build 1,500 homes in the Anaheim Resort area. The referendum could go onto the February ballot, along with a previously announced initiative meant to deter all housing projects in the resort area geared for tourist uses. "It is disappointing that once again the Disney Corporation is escalating Disney's war with the city of Anaheim," said Frank Elfend, SunCal's consultant, in a prepared statement. "Disney's new referendum is just another intimidation and bullying tactic to force their will on Anaheim." Mayor Curt Pringle and Councilman Harry Sidhu, who voted against the housing plan, were among the 25 or so business, civic and neighborhood leaders who stood up at Thursday's press conference to announce the referendum. No Disney representatives spoke. Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, who supported the housing plan, said she was "furious." "It's disrespect of the Democratic process," Galloway said. "This is the ugliness of politics. It's absolutely disregarding the people who we represent." The coalition has 30 days to collect about 13,200 signatures to put the item onto the ballot. No action could be taken on the project once those signatures are verified, Pringle said. The other initiative left open the possibility that SunCal could start its development before residents could vote to stop it. Organizers said they have collected enough signatures for the initiative, which would require all housing projects to go before voters. Although no Disney officials stood up Thursday, the company's name is on the political committee's paperwork and the company is helping to fund both measures. Disney also is suing the city related to the housing plan. Disney and other resort officials say the land should be reserved for tourism businesses, such as hotels, which generate the bulk of the city's budget. "We're not circumventing the Democratic process. We're very much a part of it," said Rob Doughty, Disneyland spokesman. << What is with Lorri Galloway... Disrespectful of the Democratic process??? Asking the people to vote on a issue is disrespectful???? IMHO... she thought she and her friends (aka Unions) won the battle but found out that they will more than likely lose the war.....
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "It's disrespect of the Democratic process," Galloway said. "This is the ugliness of politics. It's absolutely disregarding the people who we represent." LOL. A City representative said this? She obviously has little or no undertanding of how our democratic process works.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Let me weigh in here with some information... I attended the full City Council meeting Tuesday night, and also have been following the story. First, back in 1994, the original Resort Zoning did NOT include the 2 Mobile Home Parks on Haster. The owner specifically lobbied to have the property included in the resort area and agreed to the condition that the land could not be resold for residential use. Currently in Anaheim, Residential Land is worth about $5 million per acre, and commercial use is worth about 2 million. The Mobile Home land is about 26 acres, out of which the city will require no building on about 10% of that amount, reserving the land for the extension of Gene Autry Way. That leaves about 22 acres for development, and $66 million in increased value to the land if the rezoning is allowed to happen. While no specific plan has been introduced to the City Council by the SunCal builders, the zoning change would allow the highest density of units in Anaheim, by far, at least 77 units per acre, and maybe up to 100. Currently 60 units per acre is the high limit. Anaheim has built more low cost housing in Orange County by far, already over 8,000 units (Santa Ana is second with about 1,500), And the City of Anaheim has plans for at least another 1,328 units to be built in the next 4 years. <a href="http://www.anaheim.net/departmentfolders/planning/RFP/AffordableHousingStrategicPlan.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.anaheim.net/departm entfolders/planning/RFP/AffordableHousingStrategicPlan.pdf</a> Interesting to note that the Unions came out in full force in support of the rezoning change, including paying many of the folks who came out to speak at the City Council meeting in favor of the project. I presume Lorri Galloway, who was supported by the Unions when she ran for City Council asked for their help, and wouldn't be surprised to hear that SunCal also made a deal with the Unions.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Thanks for your obvervations Darkbeer. Oh the wonderful world that is politics.
Originally Posted By berol One California town recently had the city council decide on annexing/zoning a proposed shopping center. A group of people overturned it via petition/vote. The shopping center folks took it to the county (it was on county land adjoining the city limit) for petition/vote and it got approved. The developers had the same calls of subverting the democratic process from the original overturners. Sometimes people just don't think before they speak.
Originally Posted By ncnike7 At the risk of sounding like a complete moron, how exactly does this affect the Disneyland Resort? Will they not be able to expand? Are they worried about even more complaints from residence around the Parks?
Originally Posted By smeeeko I'm not sure what "low cost" housing is around Anaheim. Most the people I know who work at DLR can't afford to live in the area and have to either drive in from the Inland Empire or take a long bus from the outskirts of Los Angeles, etc. I know our apartment in Anaheim was about $1200 a mo. and to take the bus there to work it was about 45- 1.5hr which is rediculous. The Metro bus from downtown LA to Harbor Blvd. takes about the same but at least you don't have to transfer and deal with possibly missing your transfer bus. On top of that most people close at the park so unless they live on or near Harbor they have no way to efficiently get home from work. I think "affordable housing" for Cast Members would be a positive incentive to folks already working for the $6-$8 hour at the park. Also would cut down on a lot of the points the students might rack up getting to work late from school. Just a thought. (not really sure what people are picturing in their head when they are thinking "affordable housing" but I'm picturing all the underpaid employees of Disneyland Resort. =)
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I rode the bus from LA to Disneyland yesterday, and there was a CM who got on in Norwalk. It was probably about another hour from there to DL, and I can't imagine doing that every day. I hope DL gives CM's who ride the bus some sort of compensation, as it's a lot more difficult and inconvenient than driving, and it also makes it easier on the resort, as they don't have to shuttle them to and from their cars and provide parking. It did seem a little strange that she was in costume the whole time, but she didn't do anything out of character (unlike the Screamin' CM who was on the bus later than night...), so it was just strange.
Originally Posted By smeeeko ^there's a commuter assistance program that gives points for taking alternate transportation like walking or biking or bussing in to work, but that's about it.
Originally Posted By Sweeper Affordable housing is not for cast members. It would certainly be nice if Disney would build CM housing to help with the underpayment of CMs. But the city of Anaheim is not trying to help CMs.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Yes, this development would be an outside entity, so if any CM's were to live there, they would have no help from Disney. They would be in the same boat as anybody trying to get an apartment there. Now, if Disney were to create some sort of "campus housing", or something like that near the resort, that would be more directly helpful to the CM's. I have no faith that if this new "low cost" housing development gets built that Disney's CM's will benefit at all. In fact, "low cost" is very relative...it depends on who is looking at it. Yeah, it might be affordable to people who make $100K a year...I doubt the developer is wanting to put up a tenament, or something that accepts section 8.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>I have no faith that if this new "low cost" housing development gets built that Disney's CM's will benefit at all. In fact, "low cost" is very relative...it depends on who is looking at it.<< According to one source, HUD defines "low cost" housing as affordable for someone making 80% of the median income for the area. For a single person, "low income" is about $23.50/hour, or more than double what most front-line CMs make. I don't know if that's what the developers have in mind for this project, though. <a href="http://www.occhc.org/pdf/Fair" target="_blank">http://www.occhc.org/pdf/Fair</a>%20Market%20Rents.pdf >>^there's a commuter assistance program that gives points for taking alternate transportation like walking or biking or bussing in to work, but that's about it.<< Last I heard, Disney gave out free bus passes, too. The state gives tax breaks for employers who help get employees onto public transit. >>I rode the bus from LA to Disneyland yesterday, and there was a CM who got on in Norwalk. It was probably about another hour from there to DL, and I can't imagine doing that every day. I hope DL gives CM's who ride the bus some sort of compensation, as it's a lot more difficult and inconvenient than driving, and it also makes it easier on the resort, as they don't have to shuttle them to and from their cars and provide parking. It did seem a little strange that she was in costume the whole time, but she didn't do anything out of character (unlike the Screamin' CM who was on the bus later than night...), so it was just strange.<< For a year, I commuted all the way from Downtown L.A. to Anaheim on the MTA 460 bus, and there were usually multiple CMs on the bus with me for each trip. That commute made me incredibly grateful that my "costume" (plain white button-down shirt, khaki pants, black shoes) could pass as street clothes once I took off my apron and nametag. A lot of the Disney CMs act like ordinary teenagers on the bus. It can get annoying, actually, when there are a lot of them. Though I don't think they're as bad as the Knott's CMs, who take the same bus. Of course, I may be biased. ;-)
