It’s official. The SunCal affordable housing project in Anaheim is dead. Here is what the L.A. Times reported:
Plans for the housing project near Disneyland unraveled last month when the deal between SunCal Cos. and the owners of the 26-acre parcel near Disneyland fell through.
That news prompted Councilwoman Lucille Kring earlier this month to withdraw her support of the proposal. Kring cast the tiebreaking vote in a 3-2 decision seven months ago that approved the 1,500-unit project — sparking three ballot initiatives, two lawsuits and regular City Hall protests.
There are few details about what might replace the massive housing project, but Councilman Harry Sidhu said new potential buyers want to build a hotel on the land, currently occupied by two mobile home parks.
Sidhu, who agreed with Disney and tourist officials that housing is inappropriate in the 2.2-square-mile resort district, said he would join Kring and Mayor Curt Pringle on Tuesday in voting to repeal zoning that allowed the project. But Sidhu said the demise of SunCal’s proposal won’t end the housing debate in Anaheim.
“I sympathize with these housing advocates,” he said. “As a free market guy, if there’s another development that comes along outside of the resort district, I’ll support it. We need more affordable housing in this city. It will continue to be a problem. And if there’s a way we can provide more, we will.”
I wonder why SunCal was so hot to push affordable housing in the Disney resort area, while not including ANY affordable housing in their Village Green project in Santa Ana? The Village Green project is displacing hundreds of poor people from their apartments. The project will increase density on the parcel, with relatively expensive homes.
Maybe SunCal can now add an affordable housing element to the Village Green project?
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