Anaheim OKs Eminent Domain Action on 17 Parcels

The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to acquire through eminent domain 17 parcels of property in the city’s dilapidated Chevy Chase district to complete a $28-million renovation project.

The vote came despite objections from several property owners, who argued that the city’s action amounted to illegal seizure of their property.

The so-called Park Vista Project area became the focus of city rehabilitation efforts after Anaheim hamburger magnate Carl Karcher and developer Terrance K. Berry offered to buy a square mile area of apartments on the city’s north side, which has been plagued with drug use, violence and criminal activity.

But the developers, who currently control 77 of 94 properties in the 19-acre area of about 386 apartment units, were unable to negotiate deals with the remaining property owners.

Property owners who opposed the project were outnumbered at Tuesday’s hearing by representatives from city and county housing organizations who said consolidation of the properties under one ownership is the only way the neighborhood can be improved.

“In the past, the fragmented ownership of the properties has forced a piecemeal approach to resolving neighborhood problems,” said Don Sizemore, director of planning and program development for the county’s Housing and Community Development agency. “This is the only workable way to put the lost pieces in place to further our goals.”

About $7 million of the $28 million earmarked for the project will be used to rehabilitate housing, city officials said.