October 2005 Archives
City Council Approves "A - Town" Project in AnaheimMonday, October 31, 2005
The fast track to A-Town
By using free-market approach, Anaheim takes quick step toward Developing Platinum Triangle
Cities throughout Orange County have been devoted to the government redevelopment process - i.e., taxpayer subsidies, the use of eminent domain, central planning - to create new downtowns and to revive older and underutilized areas.
Some of those have come to pass, all of them have generated controversy, and some cities - such as Garden Grove - never can seem to pull together a viable project. So it's with great interest that we witness the lightning-speed development of what will be known as "A-Town" near Angel Stadium in Anaheim's Platinum Triangle.
The City Council last week voted 4-0 to approve Lennar Corp.'s development plan, which will include up to 11 residential towers soaring as high as 35 stories. It will include townhouses, lofts, a downtown shopping area, residential and commercial space. It will include everything that cities that use redevelopment want to create.
But there's a huge difference between Anaheim's plan and the plans of some surrounding cities.
A-Town will not include the use of eminent domain, according to city officials. No one will be forced off their property - the current area is mostly low-rise warehouses - to benefit the developer. And city planners did not come up with the A-Town concept, but instead invited developers to come to them with their plans.
Instead of spending years fighting to take private property, or trying to find a developer who will build what city officials want built, or looking for taxpayer sources to subsidize the project, Anaheim chose a market-based approach. The likely result will be a bigger, more impressive and more quickly started project than those that rely so heavily on government, taxation, subsidies and abuses of property rights.
Any lessons here?