Garden Grove Aims to Bring Magic South
Back when he worked for Disney, Mel Cecil once stood on an empty plot in Orlando, Fla. No dirt had been shoveled, no concrete poured. On that same property today, he'd be smack in the middle of Walt Disney World.
"Without a vision," Cecil said, "you never end up with anything."
For more than a year, Cecil, who is now a destination and theme park consultant, has been dreaming up a plan to reinvigorate Garden Grove, one of the most cash-strapped cities in Orange County.
He and a team of consultants have completed $250,000 in market studies all concluding the same thing: Garden Grove must bank on its proximity to Disneyland and march development down Harbor Boulevard to boost the city's faltering economy. That means a theme park bigger than California Adventure, music venues, dozens of new restaurants and thousands of additional hotel rooms.
To some, it's a make-or-break moment for Garden Grove.
The city can continue as it is -- nearly last in the county in tax revenue -- fighting the "Garbage Grove" inferiority complex of being overshadowed by Anaheim and fearing it may be forced out of business every time the state threatens to slash funding. Only Stanton, a city forced to cut its own Police Department to save money, brings in less tax revenue.
Or Garden Grove's leaders can think big and hope residents and developers buy into the idea. If the dream is realized, the city will create 19,000 jobs and reap $100 million annually in hotel, sales and property taxes.
During his state of the city address, Mayor Bruce Broadwater used military language and Revolutionary War images as he spoke of the city's future.
"Just as in guerrilla war, opportunities reward bold action and slip away from those who wait too long," Broadwater said. "The choice is ours. The time is now."
After a trip to Orlando, city staff and council members seemed convinced that Harbor Boulevard has a golden future. They're comparing it to International Drive, a roughly three-mile stretch flanked by Universal Studios and SeaWorld, with nine major attractions and sites such as the Orlando Convention Center, Ripley's Believe It or Not and Emeril's Restaurant packed in between.
It's the same length along Harbor Boulevard from Disneyland in Anaheim to Highway 22 in Garden Grove.
"The logic would tell you that we have a market that's just as strong," said Cecil, whose company LEDO International Inc. has clients including Legoland, the Miami Metrozoo and the Seattle Space Needle.
