The Happiest Place on Earth doesn’t want any new neighbors.
The Walt Disney Co. has sued the city of Anaheim to stop the proposed construction of 1,500 condos, including several hundred low-income units, at the doorstep of Disneyland.
Housing advocates say the units are desperately needed to accommodate workers who are essential to the city’s huge tourism industry but can’t afford to live there. Many workers spend at least four hours a day commuting from outlying areas where rent is cheaper.
“We believe this is a very dangerous precedent, because once you allow one residential development in, where does it stop?” said Rob Doughty, Disneyland’s vice president of communications. “We will do all we can to protect the value of the resort area.”
Dig up John Wayne! He’ll show those homesteaders a thing or two.
It IS a small world after all.
Screw Disney. Protecting the property value of one land owner should not be a factor in preventing another land owner from the desired use of theirs, as long as that use is lawful and presents no inherent danger to others… at least in a country where freedom should trump “not in my backyard” snobbery and the local government’s lust for higher tax revenues.
Screw Disney! The picture above is dead on!
this is why walt created disneyworld, the most wonderful place on earth.
This is overblown. The solution is simple. If Disney doesn’t want neigbors, sell them the land at inflated prices – enough to develop property elsewhere.
That being said, this worker class displacement issue is common, and shows a national, chronic problem with civic planning. Let’s hope our cities learn to deal with this intelligently before we have to call the Feds in.
Call the Feds in? They don’t have a clue either.
They don’t want poor people nearby.
Sounds like Disneyland is finally up to the expectation of its founder
#6 Call the Feds in? They don’t have a clue either.
Do you honestly think that would stop them from being called in to “fix” the problem? And I’m sure they’d fix it, but good!
Everyone should be allowed to complain about is built beside their land. I have a right to complain if they build an abattoir, prison, or $32 million Evangelical church. If the housing development will be straining the public facilities then that is also a problem. What about the traffic, available schools, stores, etc? So no, anyone should not be allowed to build whatever they wish.
In this case, however, Disney has nothing to complain about. They don’t own the land. The intended use is within acceptable zoning. Nothing put on the land is going to harm Disneyland.
This is a common problem in a lot of places……like Aspen for example. Workers, with their low wages, can’t afford to live nearby, so they have to commute long distances, thus wasting fuel and time to be good parents. I guess Disneyland is for kids…just not for the kids of the people who work there.
This is more than a matter of Disney just trying to shut people out – it involves rezoning of an area that was meant to improve Anaheim (through improved businesses) as well as another company that wants to make a lot of money just by pushing through the rezoning. check out:
and
Not quite as black and white as the Disney haters seem to think.
Messed up the HTML there. Here are the unlinked links
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/02/27/PM200702273.html
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/columns/article_1596693.php
Who can afford to live in California on a Disney wage?
If only they’d allow such development everywhere else.
#5 – “That being said, this worker class displacement issue is common, and shows a national, chronic problem with civic planning. Let’s hope our cities learn to deal with this intelligently before we have to call the Feds in.”
Why would anyone call the feds in? The Alphas and Betas at the federal level don’t care about the Gammas any more than state or local governments do.
The message from the rich to the poor (poor, noun, the class of people who make it possible for the rich to be rich) is always the same… we do not give a damn about you
#15 – We give a damn about where you live…
#16 – I sincerely doubt you are an Alpha.
#17 – At least not at the Federal level: Who’d work for those assholes?
#18 – Nice response…
You are awarded 250 bonus points for humor and I am calling for a 48 hour moratorium on the traditional “hurling of insults at the conservative guy”
Use your time wisely 🙂
Damn, and I really wanted to point out that [edited to comply with moratorium] and in conclusion let me state:
HITLER
20. Very witty Geez, very witty. Hahahaha.
#20, You are so wrong on so many levels.
CLINTON !!!
#18 – James Hill
“t least not at the Federal level: Who’d work for those assholes?”
Easy. Epsilon-Minus Semi-morons.