The Platium Triangle

For over 50 years, Anaheim has been a center of activity in Orange County as the home of major destinations including Disneyland, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Honda Center, the Grove of Anaheim, and the Anaheim Convention Center. The City has a long history of public-private partnerships that have helped support many of these destinations. Over the last 40 years the City has successfully maintained its reputation as a destination area in the SCAG region. This case study describes the City’s vision of The Platinum Triangle as the next step in this rich planning history.

Local Context

The City of Anaheim was founded in the mid 19th Century, although its major growth spurt occurred during the postwar industrial boom that swept Los Angeles in the 1950’s. Anaheim was quickly transformed from an agricultural town to a large residential suburb offering homes to the region’s workers, reaching over 100,000 residents by 1960.

The City’s major economic growth occurred during this period as well, catalyzed by the premiere of Disneyland in 1955. Anaheim quickly became a major regional family destination, and the park spurred major residential and economic growth throughout the City. Civic leaders secured Anaheim’s position as a major year-round family friendly destination by developing Angel Stadium on Katella Avenue in 1966 with the help of franchise owner Gene Autry, and the Anaheim Convention Center in 1967. By the 1960’s Anaheim was quickly becoming landlocked by rapid growth throughout Orange County, and the City saw a need to reserve key areas for industrial uses. The City designated the land aligning the Santa Ana River and the newly opened State Route 57 as an industrial zone to help diversify the local economy beyond reigning hospitality and tourism industries. A portion of this area would later become the site of The Platinum Triangle.

Today, the City of Anaheim is located centrally to Orange County’s residents and jobs, making it a desirable location to live and work. It is traversed by three of the busiest freeways in the region: State Route 57, State Route 91 (connecting to the Inland Empire), and Interstate 5 (connecting to Los Angeles). Its older neighborhoods make Anaheim one of the more affordable communities in Orange County, with a median household income of $55,720 in 2006 compared with the County median of $70,232. Nonetheless, incomes continue to rise in thriving Orange County, and some local workers are moving to the Inland Empire in search of lower cost housing. Infill residential development is a key strategy to ensuring that workers in Orange County can live close to their jobs.