Anaheim council approves 447‑unit Festival Center project despite wildfire evacuation concerns

The Anaheim City Council voted to approve the Anaheim Hills Festival redevelopment project, certifying the final environmental impact report and adopting related land‑use amendments and a development agreement that together allow construction of 447 multifamily units on the Festival Shopping Center site.

Mayor Aiken convened the continued public hearing after dozens of residents spoke during a lengthy public‑comment period. Many speakers who live in Anaheim Hills described prior wildfire evacuations and urged the council to reject the project, arguing the area is a very high fire severity zone with constrained evacuation routes. ‘‘We were told to evacuate and there was nowhere to go,’’ said Joseph Guadarrama during public comment, invoking the canyon runs that blocked residents in a previous wildfire. Multiple commenters said evacuation modeling shows three‑hour clearance times for parts of the hills and warned that adding housing and hundreds of vehicles would worsen gridlock.

Staff recommended approval. Planning Director Heather Allen summarized the project and the record: the application would demolish a vacant movie theater and build 447 multifamily units in Development Area 5 of the festival specific plan; it includes 45 moderate‑income units and a mix of public benefits, and the developer has entered an MOU with the regional carpenters’ union. Staff said the EIR identified mitigation measures and that the Chatham Brown law group’s comments did not disclose new significant impacts beyond those analyzed in the EIR.

Council members questioned fire officials at length. Fire Chief and the city’s fire marshal described upgrades since prior canyon fires — including additional wildfire cameras, mutual‑aid arrangements, and a dedicated wildland inspector — and said occupied structures in very high fire hazard severity zones must meet Wildland‑Urban Interface construction standards (Class A roofs, ember‑resistant vents, non‑combustible exteriors, fuel‑modification plans and sprinklers). The chief and marshal also recommended a year‑round, in‑house weed‑abatement program; the chief estimated start‑up costs in the low‑to‑mid millions and said operating costs could be partially offset by reimbursement when crews respond regionally.

After discussion, council members split 4–3. The clerk read the action: certifying the EIR, adopting findings and the mitigation monitoring program, amending the general plan and specific plan, and approving the final site plan and development agreement. The three council members voting no — Mayor Aiken, Councilmember Maaz and Councilmember Meeks — said public safety and unresolved evacuation concerns prevented them from supporting the project. Councilmembers Kurtz, Leon, Bayless and Rubakova voted in favor.

The council’s approval authorizes the development agreement and site changes needed to proceed; staff and the applicant will return to the council for implementation details, permitting and required mitigation tasks. The action also obligates the developer to pay applicable impact fees and follow the mitigation monitoring program the council adopted with its certification of the EIR.

The council also received related budget and timing information: staff said the development agreement includes an initial five‑year term with a possible five‑year extension if the developer pulls building permits by a set date. The council noted remaining implementation oversight and directed staff to monitor fire‑safety mitigation and community outreach requirements.

The Festival project approval was the meeting’s most controversial item and is likely to generate appeals and follow‑up requests for additional public safety and traffic mitigation analysis.