With Disneyland Resort slated to re-open to park guests at the end of April — over a year after shuttering due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the Walt Disney Company on Thursday afternoon announced an ambitious expansion project looming for the West Coast resort property.
Named “DisneylandForward”, the plan calls for the resort area to receive renovations and upgrades to attractions, restaurants and shops within the existing footprint of the Disneyland Resort.
While not many details have been disclosed — including construction cost and overall scope — the project is expected to be presented to the Anaheim City Council for approval by 2023.
“Guests need and want more, ” said Jeanette Lomboy, Disney portfolio executive at Walt Disney Imagineering said, as reported in a story on Thursday afternoon by the Los Angeles Times. “In order to give guests what they want, we need more flexibility in Anaheim.”
The Orange County Register had slightly more details, including a theme park expansion taking over existing parking lots and the creation of a new shopping district similar to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World.
Mike Lyster, a spokesman for the Anaheim City Council, said the board was now receptive to potential rezoning approval to allow for properties currently zoned as single-use to be changed to multi-use, allowing the Walt Disney Company more flexibility in renovation and expansion with the hopes of creating a much-desired, more “immersive” experience for visitors.
“Going forward, Disney is looking for “mixed-use” flexibility, Lyster said. “On the same parcel, you’d have a hotel and entertainment, as opposed to two different parcels.”
The last rezoning approval at the Disneyland Resort occurred in the 1990’s, which allowed the Walt Disney Company to construct Disney’s California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.
Most recently, the Disneyland Resort has successfully utilized their spacious Toy Story Parking lot as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site.
“In the past year, we have seen what the Disneyland Resort means to Anaheim’s economy and the role it plays in helping us provide vital public services for our residents, neighborhoods and businesses,” Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu said in a statement.
One point was made clear — despite the overall cost of the project, the Walt Disney Company would not be seeking public funds to pay for any part of the ambitious “DisneylandForward” project.
This announcement also brings possibilities for redevelopment around the nearby Angels Stadium and Honda Center, with the city eyeing these rezoning changes and redevelopment opportunities as a way to hopefully recoup sales, tourism and hotel tax revenue after the COVID-19 pandemic left the tourism and entertainment-dependent area with a significant budget shortfall.
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