2024-03-10 - Duane Roberts
Heather Flores
From:Duane Roberts <duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com>
Sent:Sunday, March
To:Natalie Rubalcava; Natalie Meeks; Norma C. Kurtz; Carlos A. Leon; Jose Diaz; Stephen
Faessel; Ashleigh Aitken; Elaine Thienprasiddhi; Amanda Lauffer; Jim Vanderpool;
Gregory Garcia
Cc:Mike Lyster
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Orange County Register Guest Commentary re: The Walt Disney
Company and Affordable Housing
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Hello everybody:
The below article was published in the print version of the Sunday edition of the Orange County Register.
It is on page five of the Opinion section.
Please have a wonderful day! :)
Sincerely,
Duane J. Roberts
The Orange County Register
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Anaheim
DISNEY NEEDS TO STEP UP ON HOUSING
By Duane Roberts
The cat is out the bag, folks.
The Walt Disney Company is making preparations to construct a massive 1,400 unit affordable housing complex on 80 acres of
undeveloped land they own in Orange County, Florida.
This project was approved 4-3 by the local planning and zoning commission in February.
Soon it will be voted on by elected officials.
Last year, the Orlando Business Journal conservatively estimated it would cost roughly around $350 million to build.
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Disney itself proudly boasts on websites they control that it will be privately financed and won't rely on government funds.
Contrast that to the $30 million they propose to give Anaheim for affordable housing in order to win approval of Disneyland
Forward, their expansion plan.
They then expect the city to leverage it using large amounts of government funds, essentially making the taxpayers subsidize
building apartments for their low wage workforce.
The question that Anaheim residents need to ask is this: Why is Disney giving us so little as compared to Florida? Do we not, like
them, have a housing crisis in this state? People are living on the streets, out of their cars, and struggling to pay rent. They can't even
afford to buy homes. And commuting long distances from cheaper locales is not an option.
Moreover, another question that should be raised: Why has Disney decided to embark on one of the most ambitious “free market,”
private sector solutions to affordable housing ever undertaken in the history of Florida; whereas here in our very own backyard they
heavily rely on government funds--taxpayer subsidies--to pay for it?
Nobody should be afraid to hold their feet to fire on this matter.
They aren't going to rent a U-Haul truck, put the Matterhorn on top of it, and relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma anytime soon.
Why?
They are stuck here and they know it.
They need our workers, infrastructure, and consumer market.
There is no doubt Anaheim has benefited from the cozy relationship it has had with The Walt Disney Company over the years.
Both Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks have drawn millions of tourists whose spending has generated tax revenue
for the city.
More than half of the general fund budget comes from the resort area.
But like Florida, Disney needs to make a greater commitment to affordable housing here.
Though it is true their operations in that state are larger, it doesn't change the fact the $30 million they offer us is too little.
Furthermore, the 1,400 unit complex they are planning shows they are capable of doing more.
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken and the rest of the city council need to ask Disney for more.
The vote this body takes on this matter in April will undoubtedly be one of the most important they ever make. And their ability to
negotiate a much better deal may become the defining moment of their political careers.
More affordable housing is a win-win situation for everybody involved. Not only will a bigger investment from Disney benefit their
workforce, but it will go a long way in helping Anaheim continue to be a great place to live, work, and play.
Duane Roberts is editor and publisher of the Anaheim Investigator blog. He has been resident of that city for more than fifty years.
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