Disneyland Unveils Plans for Theme Parks, Retail and Parking Expansion – Orange County Register

Disneyland revealed long-term plans for theme parks, retail and parking expansion as the Anaheim theme park prepares to work with the city to reimagine what the resort district will look like in the coming decades.

DisneylandForward is Disney’s effort to work with the city to expand the Disneyland resort, upgrade the project to the tourist district and drive Anaheim’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disney will ask the city in the coming weeks and months for more flexibility in plans approved in the 1990s, in order to be able to add a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, restaurants and entertainment on the east and west edges of Disneyland to appeal.

Disneyland portfolio executive for Walt Disney Imagineering Jeanette Lomboy said during a news conference on Thursday, March 25 that the DisneylandForward plan includes what could be possible in the future at the Disneyland resort with more flexibility and city approvals.

“Because of the current rigid district structure, we just need more flexibility,” said Lomboy. “We are excited about the possibilities and ready to dream. Believe me, there is no shortage of ideas, content or stories to tell or build. “

The expansion of Immersive Theme Park to the west provides for a theme park in the Downtown Disney and Lilo and Stitch parking lots between the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel.

Disney officials described the location on the west side bounded by Katella Avenue, Walnut Street, Magic Way and Disneyland Drive more as an expansion of a theme park than a new “third gate”.

Conceptual art from the west side site shows a central mountain surrounded by water with buildings interspersed at the south end of the property. A mountain range to the west separates the theme park from the nearby neighborhoods.

The west side site connects with Downtown Disney near the unused AMC Theater and ESPN Zone.

Conceptual art from the north end of the west side includes an Autopia-like drive and a Dumbo-style revolving tour.

The expansion of the east side of Disney Entertainment Destination would bring together experiences from theme parks, hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment in the Toy Story parking lot near the Anaheim Convention Center.

The location on the east side of the 56-acre Fujishige strawberry farm that became Disney’s parking lot has long been discussed as a possible “third gate” for the theme park’s future expansion.

Concept art from the east side retail area features a central lagoon surrounded by shops and a low-rise hotel with parking near the corner of Katella Avenue and Haster Street.

“What we know today is that guests need and want more,” said Lomboy. “To offer guests what they want, we need more flexibility here in Anaheim. Guests are demanding immersive integrated experiences that are not unique in their uses. We no longer think of uses as separate. Retail, restaurants, entertainment, theme parks and hotels are part of the same experiences in the same place. And we need space on our land to create environments rich in stories. “

The DisneylandForward plan also includes a possible new parking lot along the Disney Way.

However, the company’s ambitions will need to be approved by Anaheim leaders after a round-trip planning process that is expected to take two years before final decisions are made.

Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said the city is currently receptive to the zoning update around the Disneyland resort and the tourist district around Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue. Rezoning in the 1990s paved the way for the construction of Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the huge Mickey & Friends parking structure.

But restricting land to single uses is seen as outdated, as urban planners consider how tourists in 2021 want to be immersed in their destination.

“The easiest way to think about it is to work with them to analyze flexibility, to see how sites are used under this plan,” said Lyster. “Right now, according to the plan, you can have an area designated as ‘hotel’, you can have another area designated as ‘entertainment’.”

In the future, Disney is looking for “mixed-use” flexibility, said Lyster. “In the same lot, you would have a hotel and entertainment, instead of two different lots.”

For example, Disney could transform its Toy Story car park on Avenida Katella – which is currently being used as a site for mass vaccination against coronavirus – into a hotel, for which the land is already zoned.

“But with more flexible planning, perhaps it could also host entertainment uses,” which could add sales taxes to future revenue, said Lyster.

The tests of the past pandemic year and the effect on the city’s tourism bloc were not lost by the City Council, which voted on Tuesday to sustain a deficit of $ 108 million by borrowing up to $ 210 million.

“Last year, we saw what Disneyland Resort means for Anaheim’s economy and the role it plays in helping us provide vital public services to our residents, neighborhoods and businesses,” said Mayor Harry Sidhu in a statement.

“I welcome new ideas about how Disneyland Resort evolves and how we can maximize this resource for our city,” said Sidhu.

This rethink is apparent in plans to rebuild areas around Angel Stadium and Honda Center in mixed-use blocks of apartments, offices, shops, restaurants and other entertainment in the next decade.

“We see the three of them shaking hands,” said Lyster. “We see this as our path to economic recovery in the years to come.”

The DisneylandForward presentation included conceptual art from Disney theme park projects around the world that provide a “taste” of what the future expansion might look like at the Disneyland resort. Lomboy’s projects included Tangled, Frozen and Peter Pan themed land arriving at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, Zootopia themed land, Disneytown retail district and Tron roller coaster in Shanghai Disneyland in China and Toy Story Land and Disney Springs business district at Walt Disney World in Florida.