Sportstown Planning Handed Off to Anaheim

The city of Anaheim has taken over development of the Sportstown Anaheim shopping and entertainment complex after the prime developer withdrew from the project, officials said Tuesday.

The change came after the developer, Forest City Development Inc. failed to meet a Nov. 15 deadline for paying the city $150,000 in earnest money.

Even though the company still had another month to put together a list of anchor tenants, the city and developer agreed to sever ties, said Bret Colson, a city spokesman.

Rather than scuttling Sportstown or launching a search for another developer, the city decided to take over the project next to Edison International Field. As a result, there is no timetable for completing the project, nor is there any way of knowing whether the site will be developed to its potential, officials said.

So far, Tinseltown, a Hollywood-themed restaurant, has opened at the site, and plans are moving forward to construct what’s billed as the nation’s largest snowboarding park. City officials said potential tenants have expressed interest in the project, considered a key to luring shoppers and tourists to the area.

“The Sportstown concept is alive and well,” Colson said. “We’re confident we will put something on that site at some point.”

Some analysts believe the city will have a tough time trying to woo tenants to the project. Even though the proposed location is well situated near the Orange Crush, where several freeways converge, the complex faces stiff competition.

Sportstown is between the stadium, home of the Anaheim Angels, and the Arrowhead Pond, home of the Mighty Ducks. It’s about two miles from Disneyland and its planned California Adventure theme park.

And by the city’s own count, there are 20 potential or newly completed projects within a few miles, including the Block of Orange shopping and entertainment complex.

“I think there’s a lot of competition right now in that portion of Orange County,” said Greg Stoffel, a shopping mall consultant who heads his own firm in Irvine. “I think it’s difficult to get key tenants that would make it work.”

In addition, the large crowds that attend sporting events nearby could discourage potential Sportstown customers, he said.

While retail-entertainment centers are the latest development fad, “not everybody is going to spend all day in restaurants and watching movies,” analyst Alfred Gobar said. “We’ll build enough until people stop going. Consumers only have so many dollars.”

Tinseltown opened last month at the site. Earlier in the year, Glacier Sports Center of America announced plans to construct a $50-million, four-story structure known as the Gotcha Glacier that also would contain a skateboard park, roller hockey rink and a gallery of shops and restaurants.

“We’re eagerly moving forward with the project,” said Michele Tallman, a company spokeswoman.

Jack Lindquist, the former Disneyland president who heads Tinseltown, said the departure of Sportstown’s developer would not affect his business plans. The complex, however, must offer unique tenants that distinguish it from other malls in the area, he said.

The more the tenant mix “lives up to what it’s called, the better,” he said.