Emeryville residents showed overwhelming support Tuesday for the maker of box office hit “Toy Story” – the film that put Pixar’s name in lights – as more than 70 percent cast “yes” votes on measures T and U to allow Pixar to nearly double its facilities and triple its payroll.

The 18-year, three-phase expansion will begin as early as this summer, with the first construction to include a 145,000 square-foot building at the corner of Park Avenue and Hollis Street. The remaining plans entail two additional buildings and a seven-level, 1,801-space parking garage.

Just days before voters arrived at the polls, AMC Theaters offered Emeryville residents free popcorn and a free pass to a special Nov. 5 screening of Pixar’s new film “The Incredibles.” The offer, though arriving at the culmination of Pixar’s $100,000-plus campaign, was solely financed by AMC, and both Emeryville council members and Pixar campaign consultant John Whitehurst said the timing was a coincidence.

Pixar, which previously announced it would leave town if the measures failed, will keep its roots in Emeryville and invest $325 million in the expansion to ensure its position on the cutting edge of computer animation technology.

According to Whitehurst, as the complexity of Pixar’s movies increases, so does the amount of time, equipment, space and people needed to produce the same quality of work.

The expansion is necessary for Pixar to “grow and maintain its position as a premiere animation company,” he said.

The decision came as a major victory for Emeryville council members who hail Pixar for its major contributions to the city’s schools, arts, food bank, and civic activities.

“It’s gratifying to know that the people of this town know how important [Pixar] is to the health of the city,” said Councilmember Nora Davis. “This city cannot exist without the business component …. Businesses pick up 60 to 70 percent of [Emeryville’s] tax burden.”

Once its expansion plans are complete, Pixar will pump an additional $2 million yearly into the city’s tax base for services such as fire and police.

Measures T and U were placed on the ballot after Emeryville residents went door-to-door, collecting signatures from 400-plus expansion opponents. Though no one wanted Pixar to leave Emeryville, many activists sought a “better deal,” asking the city council to revisit its approval of Pixar’s plans and negotiate more for the town.

“A corporation simply paying its taxes is not the end of its responsibility to the community,” said Kristen Cross, co-director of leading opposition East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, an Oakland-based nonprofit.

Opponents expressed concern over the increased traffic congestion and voiced a desire for Pixar to implement a job training program or a hire-Emeryville-residents-first policy.

Though doors have closed on the Pixar debate, EBASE co-director Amaha Kassa said he will be “keeping an eye on Emeryville” and its future developments including phase two of the Bay Street Project, which includes plans for upscale retail and another hotel.

“This is really about raising standards for development throughout the region,” said Kassa.