Disneyland announced plans in 2021 for a massive multi-year resort expansion unlike anything attempted since Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney were completed in 2001. Disney is calling this new campaign for updated zoning DisneylandForward.
Disney has now received the first approval from the Anaheim City Council that furthers this DisneylandForward effort. This multi-year effort to rezone and bring new investment to Anaheim is very close to wrapping up. We have all the details on the passing of this final essential vote and what happens now below.
Disneyland has now wrapped up a multi-year process of working with the City of Anaheim to gain approval for rezoning to allow for further investment and expansion of the Disneyland Resort. Below we have maintained documentation of this pitch and approval process since the efforts began in 2021. The concept artwork shared in this article is all tentative because it is meant to capture what Disney could build out if Anaheim gives them the green light to re-zone to start creating DisneylandForward.
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DisneylandForward Multi-Year Expansion
The 1993 City of Anaheim and Disney agreement established specific zones on the Disneyland Resort property that spelled out what could be built where. The strict guidelines also established restrictions on development size, height, and streetscape.
Disney owns plenty of land in the area to develop but has been blocked in the past because of this zoning agreement with the city. The below graphics are potential expansions that Disney would pursue for the resort if the zoning of the Disneyland Resort property in Anaheim was changed.
The map below captures the scope of the new proposed changes at the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland hopes to make land changes:
- Establish a new parking structure off the East Side Harbor Blvd entrance to the theme parks
- Build a new entertainment/shopping facility on the current site of the Toy Story Parking Lot across the street from the Anaheim Convention Center a block down Harbor Blvd – the plans also list this as the potential for theme park use
- Expand Downtown Disney, Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure into the current grounds of the Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and surrounding parking lots – this is the area that would be the most newsworthy and change the offerings of the resort!
DisneylandForward Recent Project Updates
As of Tuesday May 7, 2024 Disneyland Forward has been unanimously approved by the City of Anaheim. The rezoning will officially go into full effect on June 7, 2024. The approval received thunderous applause at City Hall by those in attendance. This is the second of two required votes to approve this effort. This vote was more of a formality.
In a Disney Parks Blog post, the President of the Disneyland Resort, Ken Potrock, reflected back on the last couple of years saying “We’ve worked closely with city staff, neighbors, and our local community over the past three years to make sure DisneylandForward is a win for everyone – I’m grateful the city council agrees and voted to work with us on this legacy project that will set up Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim for an incredibly bright future.”
He continued saying “With updated land use approvals through DisneylandForward, we can build new entertainment experiences for our fans, create thousands of new jobs, and bring new revenue streams to Anaheim”.
This effort was a success because of the extensive work to engage the community. Previously Disney had attempted to rush plans for a hotel expansion through the city council and they were blocked. Cleary they learned a lesson. Since the time of that effort, the City of Anaheim also endured the theme park's closure during the pandemic which dramatically reduced city funding for programs.
The first vote to approve DisneylandForward was also unanimous but that vote came only after an eight-hour+ meeting dragged throughout Tuesday night. That night there were 84 speakers. 57 of the speakers spoke in favor of the vote while 24 spoke against and three spoke without a clear opinion.
Now, another procedural vote is expected at the next meeting on May 7. If approved then, the plan would take effect 30 days later.
Though the plan would be approved and work would start right away according to comments from the Disneyland Resort President, the plan is meant to cover decades of expansion of the resort.
Of all the hours of comments at the meeting, we were most interested to hear what Ken Potrock, the President of Disneyland, had to share. In addition to reiterating the plan for the DisneylandForward expansion and talking about the current economic impact of the resort, Potrock also talked about how this was a legacy project that sets the stage for the future of the resort. He also talked some about the teased Avatar project for Disneyland.
“We have shared a bold collaborative vision for what this city could truly become. Tonight we are here making history together. This is a tremendous responsibility and privilege to follow in the footsteps of Walt Disney and partner with all of you. This is our legacy project a partnership between Disneyland Resort and Anaheim that will impact generations to come”.
“Guests today want more immersive and integrated experiences like the popular Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge right here in Anaheim, or Zootopia in Shanghai Disney, or the World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. We are ready to bring the next level of immersive entertainment here to Anaheim where lands, attractions, retail, dining, and lodging are no longer separated but can be integrated together in very exciting ways. And we are committed to starting right away with a minimum investment commitment of $1.9 billion in the first 10 years that will bring engaging new experiences and entertainment to loyal fans and new audiences”.
‘These investments will bring life to our most popular Disney stories. The time is now. The Walt Disney Company has committed to investing $60 billion in it's theme parks worldwide over the next decade. Let's bring a large portion of that investment here to Anaheim. It takes 3-5 years for Imagineers to bring an idea to fruition. And the company is deciding which parks will receive funding right now. We want to make sure we get part of this investment. I would kindly say, more than our fair share part of this investment. We have the space here in Anaheim and the vision with your support we can ensure that Disneyland Resort and Anaheim continue to thrive for decades to come.”
“We have all heard about the Avatar Experience that is at the top of the list for Disneyland Resort, but what we can do with this experience regarding the size and scope is inherently influenced by DisneylandForward. We want to go beyond replacing and reimagining current attractions and lands and we want to bring new expanded experiences like Cars Land, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and Avengers Campus to the Disneyland Resort”.
This approval is thrilling news and gives Disney the latitude to create amazing new experiences at their theme parks. We are excited to see Disney move quickly to take advantage of these approvals and begin the investment (more on these figures below).
Here's a look back and forward at the timeline for approvals.
Jan. 23, 2024: City Council workshop with overview of DisneylandForward, proposed development agreement
February 2024: Planning Commission workshop with overview of DisneylandForward, proposed development agreement
March 11, 2024: Planning Commission approves with vote
April 16, 2024: City Council hearing with first vote approved
May 7, 2024: Second City Council vote for second procedural approval
Ahead of the vote with the city of Anaheim Planning Commission Disney released a new statement to the Associated Press: “We know there are stories out there we haven’t told yet, like ‘Wakanda’ or ‘Coco’ or ‘Frozen’ or ‘Zootopia’,” said Rachel Alde, Disney’s senior vice president of global development and finance. “We know what kind of stories we would love to tell. We need to get the guidance on what we can build there so we can understand how.”
On January 23, 2024 Disney announced a new set of details around the proposed investment that would be aligned with the DisneylandForward zoning approvals. While discussing the proposed investment Disney again teased the recently opened World of Frozen and Zootopia lands as potential inspirations for expansion at Disneyland. They also mentioned potential expansions based on Marvel's Black Panther, Coco, Tangled, Peter Pan, Toy Story, and Tron according to the OC Register.
As part of the new investment proposal, Disney will invest a minimum of $1.9 billion in the resort over the next ten years. The amount could reach $2.5 billion and beyond. If the investment does not reach $2.5 billion within 10 years Disney pays an additional $5 million in street and transportation improvements. These investments would go toward theme park attractions, entertainment, lodging, shopping, and dining, including west of Disneyland Drive and at what’s today the Toy Story Parking Area. This minimum investment threshold only covers visitor attractions and does not include parking, road improvements, or bridges.
Disney would also invest at least $30 million in affordable housing. This would be the largest corporate contribution to Anaheim's affordable housing. Specifically, they would leverage the funds, along with federal, state, and regional funding, to build 500 affordable housing apartments across the city. Disney recently made other investments with Anaheim to support more affordable housing in Anaheim. Finamore Place, a $61 million, 102-apartment community that opened in 2023, included $4 million in city development funding and $1.5 million in Disney funding as part of $5 million given to the Orange County Housing Trust.
They would also invest $8 million in city parks.
Finally, they would purchase some city streets and improve areas with a total funding for at least $90 million. Here are more of the details that they shared today as part of the workshop.
Though they didn't specifically call out the dollar amount, they shared the new amount of parking spaces slated for the resort and sewer improvements. They proposed a new east side (Harbor Boulevard side) 17,000-space eastside parking structure serving northbound arrivals on the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway with a walking bridge to theme parks. The agreement includes proposals to build up to three new bridges over Harbor Boulevard and two new bridges over Disneyland Drive (the street that currently has a bridge over it to connect the two parts of Downtown Disney that are on either side).
“We listened to Anaheim’s leaders and worked hard to address what is important for the city,” Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort, said in a statement. “We are proud that DisneylandForward will provide many important benefits directly to the residents of Anaheim.”
If approved, the development agreement would last until 2064.
It is important to note that the above amount of $1.9 billion is a minimum amount and will likely be exceeded by the end of the decade. Based on Disney's comments on their goals to turbocharge the theme parks with a $60 billion investment we would be shocked if the investment at Disneyland didn't quickly surpass this number. It was likely just kept low to ensure they wouldn't be caught if construction timelines were slow. A pessimistic view of this would be that Disney has chosen not to lock themselves into that $60 billion number that they shared for over the next year and instead, they are scaling back investment. I don't think we should take this as a sign of that.
The $2.5 billion number could have a dramatic impact at the Disneyland Resort if used well. The entire Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land cost $1 billion to build. Cars Land and all of the enhancements to Disney California Adventure that opened in 2012 cost $1.1 billion. Disney seems to be even more ambitious with their goals here. Even if they only end up with a new land or two that is the size of Galaxy's Edge and Cars Land it would be a thrilling decade.
From the above timeline, we can take away that we will have approval on the DisneylandForward project before the major D23 Disney fan event that's coming to Anaheim in August. That could be a time that we see a sweeping set of announcements about the overall future of the Disneyland Resort based on the approvals of this project. Up until this point we believe that Disneyland has held off announcing long term capital projects at the resort both because of uncertainty about available land and also to keep pressure on the Anaheim City Council. By August both of these issues should be resolved and it should be all clear for announcements.
There are so many more details on what could be coming that we dig into throughout the rest of this article that I highly recommend reading.
The City of Anaheim finished an Environmental Impact Study (released on September 14, 2023) that looks at the potential impacts of the proposed additions to the Disneyland Resort in the context of the neighborhood and surrounding area. They also updated the general study.
Of note in the new information released is the noise study which identified the current noise levels at Disneyland and then used a very rough outline of what future additions could be to note would future noise levels could be.
Here's a look at the current noise levels for the Disneyland Resort theme parks as they are today. Use this as a comparison to the next map released.
The below map is the main new development area of interest that Disneyland is holding up as the area for new attractions. It is unclear whether this area will be a whole new third Disneyland theme park or just an expansion pad for each theme park. In the initial concept map shared below it looks like there are actually places to connect new lands here into the existing theme parks.
Again, we can't read too much into the map released below because this is really meant to show what a fully flushed-out area here could look like, but looking at the map it lists out 14 new rides and one show. Disney called this new area a “theme park west overlay” in the report. They also labeled the current Toy Story Parking Lot as a “theme park east overlay” and reserve the ability to create theme park experiences on both of these plots of land.
Even if this won't be the eventual plan, just to see any version of a site plan that includes room for this many new Disneyland rides is pretty exciting for us.
This is the theme park west overlay as labeled in the report.
In a just updated Disneyland Resort Specific Plan (dense pdf linked here), it is outlined that the new plot of land would be connected by up to “two additional pedestrian bridges or crossings” and will be a “continuation of the themed environment across the roadway, similar to the existing Downtown Disney crossing.”
Included here is a blurb stating that crossings may take the form of a bridge similar to the style currently in Downtown Disney with the bridge and sunken roadway or a “themed ride system”. Included below this blurb is a photo of the Walt Disney World Skyliner system and a photo of the Peoplemover at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. How cool would that be as a kinetic addition to the resort?
This is the theme park east overlay as labeled in the report. Based on the concept map below it looks like this would be more of a complex along the lines of Downtown Disney. This area is just across the street from the Anaheim GardenWalk area.
From what we can see in the report so far, there is not any listed new transportation or connection listed for this theme park east area. It would be great for guest flow to see this piece of real estate connected back into the main resort by a PeopleMover or Skyliner system rather than the current bus system used to connect the parking lot.
Another interesting detail via MiceChat – all of the construction will be built out to be visually appealing from 360 degrees. This is more in the style of the Matterhorn being attractive from all sites vs the the back of Cars Land where the show building is visible.
The Anaheim City Council is expected to consider this proposal in early 2024. This will be when we get a better idea of the likelihood of the rezoning's success moving forward as Disneyland will work closely with the Anaheim City Council before implementing these possible expansion plans.
There's a lot here. H/T to MousekeGamer and MiceChat on Twitter for alerting me to the study and news.
What does this all mean for Disneyland? When will we see an impact?
We want to be careful to say that this isn't any big announcement of an expansion at Disneyland. This is the Disney Parks leadership getting their ducks in a row to be able to expand the parks when the opportunity allows for it. Getting the new zoning approved would give great flexibility.
Remember that over in Walt Disney World even though their land is zoned correctly for construction of new lands, Disney is still not locking in solid timelines for new lands and attractions opening. Even when they announced the next version of plans for Animal Kingdom expansion first teased over a year ago they did not give a solid timeline or even confirm that the announced Indiana Jones and Encanto additions are what we would actually receive. The same goes for the Avengers Campus E-Ticket attraction which we continue to get trickles of news about without any visible construction progress.
Disney is also fighting battles on all sides with ongoing worries about the decline of their cable TV business, pressure on streaming to turn a profit, and a year lacking major theatrical releases. The Disney theme parks are poised to be the engine of growth for The Walt Disney Company but there are a couple of other areas they seem to want to work on cleaning up first. We know that the Disney Parks leadership wants to take the division into overdrive to deliver new experiences for guests. I hope that they get the opportunity to plow full speed ahead.
In early 2024 we will know if the Anaheim City Council wants to play nice with Disneyland this time around and approve the package. Once that happens, it will be back in Disney's court to make use of the project approval. The extremely optimistic timeline for this would be Disney gets the approval in early 2024 and then they already have projects in process that they can prep to a point that they are comfortable announcing some new plan at the 2024 D23 Expo event. This would be a complete shift from the lack of development in the last few years coming out of the lockdown. The less optimistic view is that the early 2024 approval would lead to project development starting up and then sharing them for the first time at D23 2026 or 2028.
There are arguments for why we could see the slower timeline and the longer timeline. The longer timeline would be the result of Disney continuing on the path they're on now with development being impacted by cost concerns across the rest of the company. The shorter timeline could be the result of Disney acknowledging that the parks are their growth business and differentiator from other media companies and are in need of investment. Wanting to have something ready to open in Summer 2028 when the Olympics come to Los Angeles could also be a factor. We will have to wait and see.
Keep reading for a full synopsis and overview of the potential outcomes of the DisneylandForward project. Below you can read more about the economic impact that is expected with DisneylandForward.
Slide shared on Twitter by Scott Gustin.Disneyland President, Ken Potrock, provided updates on the project at a business luncheon (5/18/2023). The presentation included some of the previously released artwork (all of this coverage below!) and focused on the potential positive economic impact to Anaheim.
Potrock provided statistics from a recent economic study that concluded that for every $1 billion Disney invests in Disneyland that over 4,000 jobs are created along with $1.1 billion in economic output during a 4-year construction period. He also shared previous economic impact of the Disneyland Resort as seen above.
The Woods Center for Economic Analysis looked at three scenarios in this study:
- An incremental investment of $1 billion by Disney
- New hotel or equivalent Disney Vacation Club
- “Full build-out” of maximum entitlements including a theme park and hotel
Here is the full aerial view of the Disneyland area which features the areas of expansion being considered:
An environmental impact study currently in the works will be completed in the coming months and then the proposal will go to the Anaheim Planning Commission later this year.
Disneyland has a summer filled with local community events to begin garnering support for the DisneylandForward expansion. You can view the full list of events on the DisneylandForward website if you would like to attend to learn more.
Expansion of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure
You can see in the artwork released that Disney hopes to expand both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland across Disneyland Drive to allow for new expansion pads for both parks.
A close up of the maps above shows the connection between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure and their respective expansion pads.
I don't expect that the specific lands have been decided on yet, but you can see where the connections would come from. Looks like an entrance to the new area from back in Critter Country in Disneyland and Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure.
You can see what looks like turnstiles illustrated in both the graphics above and in the larger flyer over artwork. Look at the artwork highlighting the new end of Downtown Disney a little closer here. Very interesting!
Jeanette Lomboy, Disney Portfolio Executive from Walt Disney Imagineering, said of the potential expansion:
“We’ve had a long history of being bold in Anaheim, and we want to continue to be bold. But we do have constraints here in Anaheim. For our Imagineers, there is no shortage of good ideas, content and stories to tell. Unfortunately, if we can’t bring these ideas to Anaheim based on the current limitations, then Disney’s investment goes elsewhere to our other parks.”
On the DisneylandForward website, Disneyland officials share some of the lands currently going into other Disney Parks around the world that are good examples for potential expansion at the Disneyland Resort. Tokyo DisneySea is the best example of an exciting new expansion in an area located off of the existing footprint of the theme park.
That project also includes new attractions alongside hotels.
New Shopping District on Toy Story Parking Lot
Disney shared high level concept art for the potential creation of a new entertainment district on the site of the Toy Story parking lot. Not many details on this piece of the expansion were given. It is important to remember that this concept art was only released to convince the city to rezone the property – we don't know what the actual plans for the area are yet.
Creation of DisneylandForward Eastern Gateway Parking
Disney is also pushing forward to create the Eastern Gateway Parking structure project that would create a large new parking structure and transportation hub on the Harbor Blvd side of the resort in addition to a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Blvd.
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Very saddened that the Disney we once knew to be wholesome and family….now has become political and easily manipulated by current issues.
It’s literally ALWAYS been that way!! They share the space with the city of Anaheim and have always had to jump through political hoops to get things done…
You’re right on political issues and I’m very sad to. Also shouldn’t take Disney TV channels off cable so they can put them on Disney Hoping there plans fall through!!!!
I just want to know when the Haunted Mansion reopens after its big remodel. I was thinking of visiting for my birthday next year and it’s my favorite ride.
Fall 2024- it will reopen as Haunted mansion holiday w Jack and won’t be reg haunted mansion until Jan 2025
I’m curious where people staying in the Disney hotels or just visiting Downtown Disney are going to park if this gets implemented. Seems like they are using the current parking lots to build it!
Walt Disney made Disneyland for families and everyone to enjoy themselves with the original parks. You are changing what he wanted. Always had that original lamp when you walk in and should have stayed that way. Shouldn’t have taken that away and put this new lamp. A lot of people look at the original lamp every time going in and out and I love seeing it. It was special.
The original passes that you took away from us to see what times to go on the rides would be much better if you could put those back. It’s always hard to look at your phone to see what times you need to go on the rides. Also, you put this on so we have to pay more money for everything you want to do.
It’s not right to take TV channels off so you can put them on Disney
Hoping what you are planning does not go through!
This is would be exciting if the city council decides to move forward with the DisneyForward Project. The plans sound solid and would be nice to see upgrades to certain areas of the land that is already owned by Disney. By allowing this project to expand will give over 4000 new jobs to people in need of work. There has not been a major expansion project since 2001.
Dear Bob,
You know…. I loved visiting the parks (the way they used to be, I’m not into Star Wars or Marvel, although I understand that some people are), but so much is changing. After a fun day at the parks, I loved walking back to our hotel at night. The landscape was absolutely beautiful (until the waterfalls and koi ponds were removed). What I loved most about going back to the hotel (Adventure Tower) was that it was so peaceful and quiet. Ahhh, what a fun day, full of magical memories. Then it was time to enjoy an evening stroll around the hotel and a nice dinner. Now, you plan on making it “full speed ahead” with no stopping all the rides, even at the hotels. And here is the biggest problem, when people want to stay at the hotel, where do they drive up to check in? Where do they park? How do they get to their cars if needed? How far away are their cars going to be parked? I think that you are shooting your own foot with all the big expansions. There is a time and place for everything. I love relaxing in the evenings, but with more “attractions” next to my hotel window, and more people tromping through the hotel areas, it will be too much. I feel this really needs some re-thinking before any work is done. Keep the parks at the parks! Instead of buying more land for parking lots (away from the hotels) put more park attractions at the newly purchased land. Have lots of parks, sort of like at Disney World, and leave the hotels alone. Please think about this again.
My humble thoughts for your consideration, thank you for reading them.
Priscilla