Walt Disney Co. believes Anaheim should have more affordable housing -- but not as close to Disneyland as some local officials and developers propose, Chief Executive Robert Iger said Monday.
Speaking before a group of journalists at Disneyland Hotel, Iger called the theme park the "best neighbor Anaheim has ever had."
Iger noted that the city's resort area occupied less than 5% of the land in Anaheim but generated 50% of the city's revenue. He added that Disney's position was supported by "a number of unions" in the area.
Iger's statements to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers were his first public comments about the Burbank-based company's battles with Orange County's second-largest city over proposals to build 1,275 condos and 225 lower-income apartments on land Disney has long eyed as the possible location of a third theme park to supplement Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.
"We don't believe that the property being talked about ... is as recreation- or business-friendly as the businesses that could go there," Iger said.
But Iger declined to talk about Disney's plans for the area, other than to say that the company "continues to look at the opportunities" there.
"As Walt [Disney] said, Disneyland will never be completed. We will continue to build and grow," Iger said.
The 2.2-square-mile tourist zone anchored by Disneyland and California Adventure was protected from residential development by the City Council in 1994 to maximize its tax-generating potential, Iger said.
Iger did say that there were no plans for a fifth Disney property in Florida. He touted the 25th anniversary of its Tokyo park, the 15th anniversary of Disney's park in Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, which has had disappointing attendance numbers since opening in 2005.
Those properties are important not just for the revenue potential but also for their ability to introduce Disney products and entertainment to the global marketplace.
"These parks are about as good as it gets ... when it comes to growing a brand in a market."
During the question-and-answer period, Iger joked that the company's ill-fated ESPN phone was a great idea -- except for its high price, poor marketing and "flawed retail strategy."
"I'm proud of the fact that we tried it, even though we lost money," Iger said. "Sometimes you learn more through failure."
