Did Angels Steal Home? Council Approves Stadium, Land Buyout

ANAHEIM, CA —The Los Angeles Angels received initial approval early Wednesday by the Anaheim City Council to buy Angel Stadium. The agreement to sell 150 acres of land around Angel Stadium for $320 million was approved by a 5-2 vote, with Councilwoman Denise Barnes and Councilman Jose F. Moreno voting no.

Final approval of both items is expected at next Tuesday's council meeting.

The agreement will keep the Angels in Anaheim through at least 2050 with five five-year extensions through 2075. It also provides for the 45,500-seat stadium renovation with an option to replace it with a new one.

Over 250 public commenters sent emails regarding the stadium and land sale, both for and against. According to the Los Angeles Times, one citizens' group is suing Anaheim saying that the deal broke laws regarding transparency. That lawsuit returns to court Sept. 29 to "consider a trial date."

According to Mike Lyster, Anaheim's chief, the City of Anaheim will receive $150 million in cash, with $45 million due in October, 466 apartments worth $123.7 million, and a 7-acre park worth $46.2 million communications officer.

The master site plan for the stadium land calls for re-developing parking lots into homes, hotels, restaurants, shops, parks, and public spaces. Doing so would create a similar setting seen around stadiums in San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Chicago or Staples Center and arenas in Sacramento and San Francisco.

The plan includes 5,175 residential units, 1.75 million square feet of commercial space, including up to 943 hotel rooms, and 2.7 million square feet of office space.

"What have been far too many years of uncertainty and inaction in Anaheim are now over," Mayor Harry Sidhu said. "We have secured baseball while freeing our city from the costs of stadium ownership.

"Our residents will benefit for years to come as valuable, underutilized land gives way to a stadium area we can all be proud of."

The apartments are considered affordable housing, and city officials envision the 7-acre park much like the one across from Santa Monica City Hall, Lyster said.

The future of the City National Grove of Anaheim is uncertain.

The Angels will take ownership of the venue and will consider what to do with it going forward.

Still, there's a possibility it becomes part of the Honda Center's OC Vibe entertainment venue plans that will be modeled after L.A. Live next to Staples Center, Lyster said.

"The future of the Grove will rest with the new ownership," Lyster said. "But we don't expect to see any change with the Grove. Longer-term, the new ownership will evaluate it and take it into consideration with its own development plans."

Are you for the sale of the stadium to the Los Angeles Angels? Tell us what you think in comments, or by emailing your Patch editor.

City News Service, Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.