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Susana Barrios
From:Dave Lieberman <dave.lieberman@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, April 12,
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Public comment: DisneylandForward
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To the esteemed City Council of Anaheim:
I am an Anaheim resident and homeowner in Council District 4 and I am writing to ask you to vote to
approve the DisneylandForward zoning plan when it comes before you for consideration on Tuesday,
April 16.
While the City Council is certainly not bound by Disney's wishes and plans, Disneyland is a huge driver of
our city economy. In general, things that benefit Disney benefit Anaheim as well, and in this particular
case, only good things could come of approving the plan.
The current specific plan was envisioned before multi-use zoning was a consideration; the City Council
of thirty years ago could never have imagined a day when hotels, retail, entertainment, and even
residential would be interwoven within each other. But this formula has found success in many places,
from the Irvine Spectrum to Disneyland Paris, from the Americana at Brand to the upcoming OCVibe
development under construction around the Honda Center.
There has been some controversy around the sale of City-owned streets to Disney. As a resident and
homeowner in Council District 4 for the last 18 years, I have never—not once—driven on Magic Way or
Hotel Way except when bound to or from Disney property. Hotel Way and the part of Clementine Street
that are being considered exclusively serve Disney property, now that Disney has purchased the old
immigration building north of its parking lot. Disney funded improvements to Ball Road and West Street
(now Disneyland Drive) when the overpass over Ball Road was approved, and will improve Walnut Street
while improving pedestrian access to Disneyland for people lodged in the short-term rentals in the
condominiums on the west side of Walnut.
Having parking be moved from the Toy Story lot ("the strawberry fields" to us old-timers) to a location
closer to the freeway will also alleviate some of the traffic issues that arise when Disneyland-bound
traffic must compete for space along Disney Way, Katella Avenue, and Harbor Boulevard with traffic
bound for the Anaheim Convention Center, while reinvigorating the hotels and businesses within walking
distance of the current parking lot, particularly if Disney provides shuttle service or the monorail between
the redeveloped Toy Story lot and the main Disneyland property.
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Disney appears to have learned from the outcry surrounding its failed proposal to build a bridge across
Harbor Boulevard, and the new concept will preserve pedestrian access to the property along Harbor,
thus mitigating the concerns of hotel owners and developers.
Finally, allowing Disney the freedom to reimagine its property will bring fresh ideas to the property, which
will bring more people to the area; between that increased tourism and Disneyland's own contributions
directly to Anaheim's economy, we as Anaheimers stand to reap a great deal from this proposal.
Please vote in favor of DisneylandForward.
Respectfully submitted,
David Lieberman
Anaheim, CA 92805
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