Southern California city council gives a key approval for Disneyland expansion plan
SANTA ANA, California — Visitors to Disney’s California parks could one day walk through the snow-covered hamlet of Arendelle from “Frozen” or the bustling, critter-filled metropolis of “Zootopia” under a park expansion plan approved by the Anaheim City Council.
Disney would spend at least $1.9 billion over the next decade to transform its 488-acre campus in densely populated Southern California. It would be the largest expansion of Disney’s Southern California theme parks in decades, with the aim of creating more immersive experiences for guests. Disney would also have to spend tens of millions of dollars on street improvements, affordable housing and other infrastructure in the city.
The council unanimously approved the project after an eight-hour meeting, the Orange County Register reported. A second council vote is needed in May for final approval of Disney’s plan.
The plan would not expand Disney’s footprint in tourism-dependent Anaheim, but would help it add attractions and entertainment by letting the company move the parking lot to a new multi-story structure and redevelop the massive site, and make other changes to the way it uses the parking lots. its properties.
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and the Downtown Disney shopping area are surrounded by freeways and residential areas in the city 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, so the company sees the plan as essential to continue creating major new attractions. .
A significant portion of the public testimony to the City Council focused on Disney’s plans to purchase a public street near the theme park and turn it into a pedestrian walkway, and on its intention to build a crosswalk place in another adjacent street.
Scott Martindale, who lives nearby, said the crosswalk would improve safety.
“No change or project is perfect. But in this case, I think the returns outweigh the returns,” he said. Martindale added that Disney engaged in community outreach about its expansion plans for three years.
Another neighbor, Cassandra Taylor, said she is looking forward to the new attractions the expansion will bring. But she is concerned about Disney’s plans to privatize a city street, adding that she first heard of the idea in a newspaper article last month, even though she had attended two Disney information presentations.
“They may have a pedestrian walkway planned now, but once it’s theirs, they might as well take it down,” Taylor said. “It will be theirs, and all theirs. Voters will have no say in its future use.”
Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort, said at the meeting, “We are ready to bring the next level of immersive entertainment here to Anaheim.” Over the past two decades, Disney investments have included Cars Land, Pixar Pier, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus.
Disney has not yet committed to which stories it wants to show, as the new development will take years.
It’s the first time Disney has pursued a major change at its California theme parks since the 1990s, when the company was given permission to convert Disneyland, the original theme park built in 1955 and dubbed “the happiest place on earth.” transform into a resort center. It later built the Disney California Adventure theme park and the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district.
According to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, Disneyland was the second most visited theme park in the world in 2022 with 16.8 million people.
Anaheim is Orange County’s most populous city and is home to 345,000 residents, a major league baseball team and a national hockey team. Hotel revenue normally makes up about half of the city’s revenue and is expected to rise to $236 million this year, according to city estimates.