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Council approves Festival apartment project after contentious public comment on wildfire safety
Summary
After hours of public comment focused on wildfire evacuation and requests for transparency, the City Council approved amendments and an associated development agreement for the Festival apartment project (Anaheim Hills) following votes on rehearing and the second reading of ordinances; opponents asked for release of a wildfire evacuation study and for rehearing, which the council denied before adopting the ordinances.
A prolonged public‑comment block dominated the evening as hundreds of residents, many from Anaheim Hills, urged the council to delay or rescind approval of the Festival apartment project because they said a city wildfire evacuation study had not been released and that evacuation routes were already at capacity. Residents described lived evacuation experiences, alleged public‑records delays and asked the council to grant rehearing or recuse members with perceived conflicts.
Council considered a petition for rehearing and voted first to deny the rehearing request. After debate the council then considered the second reading of ordinances and a development agreement for the Festival project. An initial motion to reject the second reading failed 3‑4. Councilmember Rubalcaba then moved to adopt the ordinances and associated development agreement; the motion carried 4‑3 (ayes: Leon, Bayless, Bacalhau/Kurtz and another councilmember as recorded on the audio record), and the related resolutions and development agreement were adopted.
Opponents at the podium raised technical and legal concerns about environmental review, evacuation modelling and the presence of lobbying or conditional agreements tied to union labor. Supporters urged the council to approve a site designated in the housing element and argued the project would add housing in an infill location. Councilmembers voting in favor said they relied on staff analysis, the city attorney's guidance and their departments' recommendations; those opposing cited unresolved evacuation and transparency concerns.
The council's procedural sequence: the rehearing request was denied in a vote; an effort to block the second reading failed; and the final motion to adopt the ordinance and development agreement passed. The council instructed staff to continue to make pertinent reports and to respond to public‑records requests; community members signaled intent to pursue other administrative or legal options.
Votes and precise tallies were recorded in the meeting minutes and on the public record of the council meeting.
