Affordable-housing debate grows for Disney employees

**Timbo** · 04-23-2007, 12:37 PM

From the ocregister.com:
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
Affordable-housing debate grows for Disney employees

Some say that Disney should provide low-cost homes for its workers, while others say the company's role is not one of home developer.

By SARAH TULLY
The Orange County Register

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Full story here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1665887.php

**Jiminy Cricket** · 04-23-2007, 03:21 PM

Unfortunately, housing near WDW is very expensive and is getting more so even in areas 20-25 miles from WDW. While there are some very well paid jobs at WDW, the majority are in the $7-10/hr range or $14,000 to $20,000/yr before taxes for full-time employees. The rule for thumb for owning your own home or renting a home/apartment is 25% of your salary. In other words most WDW employees could afford homes/apartments in the $300-$400/mo range. In that price range there is not much that I have ever seen in or around WDW. That is why Disney hires teenagers, retirees, and foreign workers by the tens of thousands.

While we were at WDW in February we saw they were converting an old Holiday Inn into condos. They were refurbishing the rooms and adding a kitchenette. Price was only $170,000 for about 312 square feet, which is slightly larger than a WDW Value resort room. However, you do get a 42" plasma TV and the use of the community pool, etc., but with an added monthly fee. While there are about 21,000 single-family homes for sale right now in the Orlando/WDW area the median price is still about $350,000 even with a depressed market.

**Timbo** · 04-25-2007, 06:30 PM

From latimes.com:
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Anaheim council OKs Disney-adjacent housing development
The project, which includes low-cost units, is approved on a 3-2 vote. Entertainment giant calls it a 'bad precedent.'

By Dave McKibben, Times Staff Writer
9:45 AM PDT, April 25, 2007

Over the strong objections of Disney and dozens of tourist officials, the Anaheim City Council voted 3-2 early this morning to approve a controversial residential project in the city's resort district.
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Full story here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...=la-home-local

**Timbo** · 04-26-2007, 11:42 AM

From Forbes.com:
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Vote Jolts Disney-Anaheim Relationship

By GILLIAN FLACCUS 04.25.07, 10:59 PM ET

The City Council's decision Wednesday to pave the way for low-income housing at Disneyland's doorstep is a jolt to the cozy relationship that Anaheim and its largest employer have enjoyed for more than half a century.
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Full story here: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3653686.html

**Veritas** · 04-26-2007, 12:18 PM

Supply and demand always catches up.

**Timbo** · 04-26-2007, 07:23 PM

From the OCRegister.com:
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Thursday, April 26, 2007
Disney and city move beyond vote

The county's largest employer says it will continue its relationship with the city, despite the City Council voting for a residential zoning plan that Disney opposes.

By SARAH TULLY
The Orange County Register

AnaheimDisney protested for months, slapped a lawsuit against the city and unleashed a ballot initiative to strip the City Council's power over development.

None of that stopped the City Council from voting early Wednesday, 3-2, to approve a residential zoning plan that the county's largest employer so aggressively fought.
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Full story here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1671503.php

**Timbo** · 04-27-2007, 09:57 AM

From the OCRegister.com:
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Friday, April 27, 2007
Referendum may overrule Anaheim council

A Disney-led coalition is pushing for another ballot item to kill zoning change.

By SARAH TULLY
The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM - A Disney-led business coalition on Thursday launched a referendum to toss out the City Council's approval of residential zoning near its theme parks.

The coalition, called Save Our Anaheim Resort, took out petitions for the measure just one day after the council's 3-2 vote on the plan that could pave the way for developer SunCal to build 1,500 homes in the Anaheim Resort area.
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Full story here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1672223.php

**Timbo** · 05-20-2007, 04:41 PM

From the New York Times:
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National Perspectives
Housing Plan Turns Disney Grumpy

By FRED A. BERNSTEIN
Published: May 20, 2007
Anaheim, Calif.

FOR 52 years, the Walt Disney Company has called Disneyland, its Southern California theme park, “the happiest place on earth.”

But now Disney is angry that the city of Anaheim, where the park is based, has approved plans for 1,500 apartments on a site zoned for tourist facilities.
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Full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/re...=1&oref=slogin

**Timbo** · 05-23-2007, 09:18 AM

From the OCRegister.com:
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Monday, May 21, 2007

Disney's Iger speaks about Anaheim housing dispute

The company's chief executive makes his first public remarks about why it opposes SunCal's development plan for resort district.

By ANDREW GALVIN
The Orange County Register

Robert Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney Co., made what he described as his first public remarks Monday about a skirmish between the company and a developer that wants to build housing in Anaheim's resort area.
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Full story here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1702018.php

**Timbo** · 05-31-2007, 11:33 AM

I met a CM at WDW this week that was at Disneyland for 5 years before moving to Orlando because "the cost of living is too high in Anaheim." This young man lived in the Anaheim area all his life and all his family is still there and yet he moved to Orlando to stay with the company. Anyways, he says that he agrees with TDC on this issue because that area where they city wants to build the housing was originally designated part of the Anaheim resort district. I have a feeling this issue will not be resolved very quickly.
From the OC Register:
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Sunday, May 27, 2007

Disney, city engage in Word War II

JONATHAN LANSNER
Register columnist

With a pal like the city of Anaheim, who'd need enemies?

The city is in its second big-time battle in recent memory with a supposed corporate partner. And this battle – with Disneyland – is even more of a head scratcher than the legal war of words with Angels owner Arte Moreno.
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Full story here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1709858.php