Anaheim’s largest entertainment expansion since Disneyland, called OC Vibe, is set to break ground in 2024 and residents can expect more sports venues, entertainment, dining, modern workplaces, housing, and open spaces.
- A new 5,700-seat concert venue
- Two hotels, with a total of 550 rooms
- 1,500 apartments
- Four parking structures with surface lots of over 8,000 spaces
- 30 restaurants
- 10 acres of public park
The Anaheim City Council approved the plan in November 2018.
With housing prices across Anaheim and broader Orange County reaching record highs, questions arise about how the luxury development will impact property values in Anaheim.
Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster told The Epoch Times that current homeowners may expect an increase in the value of their property following OCVibe construction. This could mean great news for residents looking to sell their homes in the next decade.
“Our strategy as a city is to provide more housing. [More] housing will moderate the pricing of housing overall across the city,” Lyster said.
Traffic in the area will also increase due to OCVibe attractions. City officials have conducted traffic studies ensuring arterial streets can handle higher volumes of traffic in the area.
Anaheim Arena Management, which manages the Honda Center, is taking over transit operations in the area.
With Disneyland just three miles away, tourism to and from the park will be affected. Lyster said OCVibe would expand the market for tourism in the area, rather than directly compete with it.
“Rather than making us a one-day visit with Disney, [OCVibe] makes Anaheim a place people spend days, if not weeks,” Lyster said. This is because tourists can stack their visits to the area with multiple events, such as Canadians who arrive to see their team play the Ducks at Honda Center, then visit Disney’s theme parks the following day.
Because of the new development, the Anaheim Police Department will need to hire more officers, according to a department spokesman.
City of Anaheim spokesman Lyster said that despite the presence of human trafficking in surrounding cheaper motels, particularly near Disneyland, law enforcement continues to take proactive measures to ensure that police actively prosecute cases to ensure OCVibe’s safety.
There is a known network of human trafficking connecting Anaheim, San Francisco, and Las Vegas that frequents the area, Lyster said.
Regarding COVID, although public concern persists over future variants and their impact on local entertainment restrictions, Lyster said “we’re moving to an endemic stage. COVID will remain with us, but we believe that this will be something we will live with.”
