Unstable Future Ahead for Stable : Land-Use: A property swap making room for Anaheim’s indoor sports arena will leave none for an equestrian program for disabled children.

ANAHEIM —  A widely known equestrian program for handicapped children and 250 horse owners face eviction from their long-established stables because of a land swap clearing the way for Anaheim’s $75-million indoor sports arena.

“We were kind of crushed,” said Frosty Kaiser, executive director of the American Riding Club for the Handicapped, who learned Saturday that Rancho del Rio Stable land was sold as part of the arena deal. “We have so many horses and kids to try to locate, it kind of threw us into a panic this weekend.”

The riding program for handicapped children is operated by Kaiser and about 25 therapists, secretaries, teachers and other adult volunteers. Children use the facility along the Orange Freeway nearly every day, she said.

“For us to try to find a place in six months is kind of overwhelming,” said Kaiser, whose 10-year-old operation has served about 100 children and has been recognized as the Orange County Special Olympics equestrian program. “We have to have wheelchair access and places to put our wheelchair ramps.”

This year, the group became the first handicapped children’s equestrian unit ever to participate in the Pasadena Rose Parade.

The eviction was set in motion last week when the city of Anaheim agreed to buy the property of the Phoenix Club, a German social organization, on Douglass Street north of Katella Avenue, where the city plans to build its 20,000-seat sports arena. As part of that deal, the city agreed to sell to the club a portion of the property where the stable is so the club may relocate.

“What am I going to do with 250 horses?” asked stable owner Richard Tozer, a retired Anaheim firefighter who said he cannot get a meeting with the mayor to discuss the issue. “I can’t fight the city of Anaheim, a big construction company and 3,000 Germans.”

Tozer has owned the stable for about 20 years, but in 1983 he gave a private developer an option to buy his property for $1.5 million. Now the developer, Sanderson, J.-Ray Development Co., has decided to exercise its option and buy the land so it can immediately resell the 9.2-acre parcel to the city for about $2.7 million. The Phoenix Club then will buy a portion of the land from the city.

Tozer says that Sanderson, J.-Ray Development had verbally assured him that the stable could stay in business, leasing space on the property if the firm bought the land. But now, Tozer says, the stable must go because the city needs the land to relocate the Phoenix Club.

Hans Klein, president of the Phoenix Club, said the horse owners “have plenty of time” but stressed that the stable will not be allowed to remain on the property after the Phoenix Club has built its facility.

“The plans are to start construction in January,” Klein said. “We’d like to be in before October of next year.”

Tozer said that based on verbal promises by Sanderson, J.-Ray Development, he had assured his tenants--which include the American Riding Club for the Handicapped--that they would be allowed to remain on the land even if the development company bought the property.

“They assured me all along they were going to keep this a stable,” Tozer said of the developers.

Tozer said he has an obligation to the people who board their horses at the stable.

“I’m not talking about legal obligation--I’m talking about moral obligation,” Tozer said. “This is like a family out here. We have barbecues. . . . I have families that have been here 18, 19 years.”

Chase Sanderson, James Ray and his brother, Michael Ray, the partners in the Irvine-based development firm, did not return telephone calls from The Times Wednesday. Neither did Mayor Fred Hunter.

However, Anaheim Assistant City Manager Jim Ruth said Wednesday that “we’re not going to be pushing anybody on the street.”

Since it became apparent the city would acquire the property, Anaheim officials have advised Tozer that they would try to find suitable land to relocate the horses, “hopefully in Anaheim, but there’s no guarantee on that,” Ruth said.

“We think we have a moral obligation . . . and we are definitely working in that endeavor,” Ruth said. “Our objective is to relocate all the horses.”

Ruth said he would meet next week with some of the horse owners. In the meantime, he said, the city has begun surveying stables in the area to find other available facilities.

“The people I talked to the other day already had a handle on what other sites may be available,” he said.

Ruth said that even though the developers may have told Tozer the stable could continue operating on leased land at the site, the city is “not buying land to provide a stable over there, that’s for sure. The city is not interested in being in that business.”

Sanderson, J.-Ray Development, whose principals are campaign contributors to several council members, is involved in a complicated land swap that frees up the needed land for the proposed arena.

The Anaheim City Council voted Friday to buy 7.6 acres of industrially zoned land on Douglass Street near Katella Avenue for $8 million from the Phoenix Club. But the purchase of the Phoenix property hinged on two related land deals, approved Friday.

The city also agreed to pay $5.9 million to Sanderson, J.-Ray Development for 14.5 acres, which includes Tozer’s property. The city in turn sold about 8.5 acres of that property to the Phoenix Club for $3 million.

As part of the deal, The city also sold Sanderson, J.-Ray Development another 14.5-acre site at Weir Canyon Road and La Palma Avenue.

Tozer’s 9.2-acre site includes about seven acres under high voltage power lines, which restricts what can be built there, Ruth said.

Sanderson, J.-Ray Development “told me the part under the (Southern California) Edison (Co.) easement has no value for anything except strawberries or horses, so we’ll keep the horses in there,” Tozer said. “They said I could lease it back.”

But Ruth said Wednesday the property under the power lines will be used by the Phoenix Club for parking to serve the club’s new meeting facility.

Kaiser believes that it will be difficult to find another location for her handicapped children’s program.

“We have to have something centrally located for most of our kids,” Kaiser said. “Land is at a premium in Orange County, especially for stables.

“Most of the stables in Orange County are slowly being lost to construction or housing. We are really in a dilemma on what to do and where to go.”

Land Swap Existing Arrangement Planned Arragement Anaheim agreed to pay $5.9 million to Sanderson, J.-Ray Development for 14.5 acres, which includes Richard Tozer’s Rancho Del Rio Stable. The city in turn sold about 8.5 acres of that property to the Phoenix Club for $3 million and will keep the rest of the land.