Panel Finds No Room for New Storage Yard

Planning commissioners on Monday denied plans for a self-storage yard that had drawn opposition from neighbors.

A developer proposed building the storage units on three acres of a 20-acre former landfill known as “Sinking Lincoln” on west Lincoln Avenue at Beach Boulevard.

Members of West Anaheim Neighborhood Development Council opposed the partial use of the land, calling it a prime city gateway that should be more fully developed.

Commissioners agreed.

“We need to see an overall solution for this property,” Commissioner Robert Henninger said.

Esther Wallace, chairwoman of the citizens group, said there already are nine storage yards in the area. She said residents would prefer a commercial project that would benefit the community.

Because a large portion of the land was used as a landfill, it will require extensive cleanup before development proceeds, city planning officials said. It was last used as a dump in the 1960s.

Jon T. Eicholtz, a partner of the project, said the storage yard was the only viable option analyzed for the parcel, which is free of contamination. He said owners tried to come up with a concept that was both “reasonably acceptable and financially feasible.”