Council to Consider Sportstown Proposal

Plans for a sports-related entertainment and retail complex next to Anaheim Stadium could move forward today when the City Council considers a proposal by Forest City Development California Inc. to market Sportstown Anaheim and oversee its development.

Planning officials are recommending that the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland be awarded exclusive negotiating rights.

Planning Director Joel Fick said the city heard from several companies interested in the 40-acre project but that Forest City was the most qualified.

“They’re one of the leaders in entertainment and retail development, and they’re highly motivated. They have been very creative with a lot of their past projects,” he said.

The proposal calls for Forest City to negotiate with prospective tenants and prepare site plans and financial data. If marketing and related negotiations are successful in the next six months, the council would consider a development agreement in January.

Victor Grgas, Forest City’s director of planning, said that his company is highly qualified to undertake Sportstown.

“We’re one of the few companies that have done entertainment- and retail-themed” projects, Grgas said. “We have firsthand experience.”

According to a development plan passed by the council last year, Sportstown Anaheim would have 750,000 square feet of entertainment and retail space, a football stadium, as many as 500 hotel rooms, 250,000 square feet of office space and a 150,000-square-foot exhibition center.

Among Forest City’s recent projects are a 280,000-square-foot entertainment and retail complex on the Las Vegas strip and a similar 350,000-square-foot development in New York.

Councilman Lou Lopez said the city is enthusiastic about Sportstown because “it’s going to bring a lot of tax revenues for the city.”

The council meets at 5 p.m. in chambers, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd. A 3 p.m. workshop on Sportstown Anaheim will precede the session. Information: (714) 254-5166.