Disneyland’s Most Impactful New Addition in Resort Expansion Hits Major Milestone

Disneyland is in the middle of a massive expansion that is adding new rides and attractions and expanding infrastructure. Construction of one of the major additions that will unlock space for the addition of multiple new rides hit a big milestone today with the filing of a permit that reveals details.

Let’s get into the details of the permit and how this is a major step towards park expansion. At Mickey Visit, we are constantly tracking the latest Disney news, including comments about the new Avatar addition and Disney’s recent DVC crackdown.

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Disneyland Files Permit For New Major Impactful Addition

Disneyland got approval for rezoning its existing land around the resort for theme park use last year when Anaheim approved the DisneylandForward initiative. This new plan sets the stage for multiple decades of expansion at Disneyland. The previous Disneyland Resort president shared with me that he thought about DisneylandForward as a framework for the next 30-40 years of expansion at the resort. We are already seeing the first projects that are benefiting from these approvals moving forward.

Currently there are four new rides in various stages of construction or planning in Disney California Adventure. These include two new Avengers Campus rides, a new Coco boat ride, and a new Avatar land. The plan also provided approval for a massive new parking structure and entrance area on the Harbor Boulevard side that will be called the Eastern Gateway.

This new entrance area and parking structure will change the entrance process from the Harbor side of the park and for anyone driving up from the south along I-5 to enter the resort. This project will also immediately unlock an expansion pad where the current transportation area is on that side. This is currently where the ART hotel shuttles and shuttles from the Toy Story parking lot drop off. This area will be part of the new Avatar expansion zone.

Here’s a rough graphic that we put together that shows how this new area will be set up. This area will be capped off by a new Disneyland marquee inspired by the classic sign.

Here’s a look at that map.

Back in October we reported on the first signs of work on the new structure with a permit for fencing in the area. Now, we have a new permit filed for the approximately 3.2 million square foot parking structure.

The permit was submitted on December 22, 2025. The construction permit still needs to be issued, but the plan appears to be in line with what was previously shared about the new structure. The permit details a new 8-level parking garage that will include 302 EV chargers.

Here’s the full permit that was submitted –

DLR – East Parking Structure – New Commercial Construction: 3,257,394 sq ft 8-level open parking structure core and shell. Install 302 EV chargers. With limited mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

We already know from Disney that this new structure is expected to include 6,000 new parking spaces, a new bus and rideshare drop-off area for Uber and Lyft, and a new security checkpoint. We also expect there to be access points for guests staying at hotels around this new space as seen in the concept artwork below.

Here’s the specific description of the project from Disneyland:

“Plans are underway for a new parking structure and transportation hub that will be built on the east side of Disneyland Resort. This new area will provide approximately 6,000 parking spaces, dedicated shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening, and dedicated access for traffic off of Disney Way, improving parking and traffic flow throughout the resort area.”

The structure will be located on land currently occupied by Cast Member parking. There is a skybridge being built over Harbor Boulevard as you can see in the concept artwork above. That is being built on land that was previously the Carousel Inn before Disney purchased the land and tore down that building.

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The only timeline previously shared about the project was for construction to begin in Fall 2026. We don’t know if this permit means that anything is happening faster than that, but it is a sign everything is moving forward.

Disneyland most recently added the Pixar Pals parking structure, with 5,000 parking spaces, in 2019. That structure is located next to the Mickey and Friends lot on the opposite side of the resort.

We will be checking in on the construction of the project from one of our favorite hotels near Disneyland, the Element by Westin. This hotel will likely eventually benefit from the expanded security checkpoint that will make the entrance to Disney property closer to the hotel and the walk to the park shorter.

This new structure is a critical piece of the overall changes to the Disneyland Resort. Not only does it free up the area for the Avatar expansion, it provides a place for the increasing number of park visitors to park. This is a key move to relieve the bottleneck created by the current parking lots. This is by far the most impactful construction at the resort right now.

There are other changes coming up to Disneyland in 2026 that also relate to these ongoing projects. We break down that list in our look at Disneyland things going away in 2026 – some permanently. One classic attraction is closing and the runDisney events at Disneyland are going on hiatus due to the ongoing construction at the resort.

The runDisney finish line has been set up on one of the two parking lots in this area in recent years. We wouldn’t be surprised if that parking lot became a staging area for the construction of the new parking structure.

Disneyland is on the brink of an exciting couple of years of new rides and attractions opening. In the meantime, Disneyland has announced a slate of events for 2026 and the opening dates for all the new attractions coming in 2026.

Disney recently confirmed the Avatar “destination” is still in the works, but development is still in early stages. See the latest on that project in our recent report.

We will continue to monitor changes to Disneyland that are big and small here on Mickey Visit.

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