Firm Hired to Make Plans for Stadium Area

Hoping to revitalize the mostly industrial district around Anaheim Stadium, the City Council on Tuesday hired an Irvine consulting group to create a master plan for 807 acres of the area.

The council agreed to pay $337,844 to Spectrum Group, the same consultants who dreamed up a proposed sports, retail and entertainment complex called Sportstown Anaheim, unveiled by the city last week.

City officials said a plan to guide development and zoning decisions is needed because of the increase in visitors they expect Sportstown to bring to the area.

The consultants will have about nine months to complete a master plan and a report gauging its effect on the surrounding area.

The area targeted is bounded by Anaheim Boulevard, the city of Orange, the Santa Ana River and the Southern California Edison Co. right-of-way near Cerritos Avenue.

Last week, the city unveiled its proposal for Sportstown Anaheim, a 159-acre sports, entertainment, retail and office complex. The project would be divided into five districts and would include a new football stadium, a renovated Anaheim Stadium and a youth sports center called the Little a.

The city’s plans also would include two hotels, restaurants, stores and a Western-themed area that would link the stadium area with The Pond, located a quarter-mile away.

The city has not secured funding for Sportstown and does not know when it would be built or at what cost.