Disney Expansion Plan Approved, New Park Incoming?

Disney just got one step closer to kickstarting a massive new expansion for its original theme park resort.

The DisneylandForward project – a $1.9 billion development initiative from Disneyland Resort – was just approved on a 5-1 vote by the Anaheim Planning Commission. This followed a six-hour meeting on March 11 between Disney officials, Anaheim residents, and Disneyland fans at Anaheim City Hall.

During the meeting, Disneyland revealed huge expansion plans for its 490-acre property, adding a mixture of attractions, restaurants, shops, and even possibly a third theme park on what is currently the Toy Story Parking Area over the course of the next decade. It also hopes to privatize Magic Way, a street that currently borders Disneyland.

While it didn’t reveal specific plans for the lands or attractions that would join Disneyland Park or California Adventure, it did suggest that they could compare to the likes of World of Frozen, City of Zootopia, and Fantasy Springs – all immersive recent or upcoming additions added to Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea respectively.

“We know there are stories out there we haven’t told yet, like Wakanda, or Coco, or Frozen, or Zootopia,” Rachel Alde, Disney’s Senior Vice President of Global Development and Finance, told attendees. “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.”

Not all Anaheim locals were excited by these prospects. While some described having a cooperative, helpful relationship with Disney over the years, others argued that the company doesn’t do enough for its workers. Citing a lawsuit filed last week that claims Disney underpaid its maintenance workers, resident Jeanine Robbins – who lives half a mile away from the park – said, “When they can take care of their existing employees, then they can come back with this ridiculous proposal.”

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There are also concerns over the amount of noise, traffic, disruption, and pollution generated by a project of this scale, which residents have argued Disney could counteract by investing more in the local Anaheim community.

Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort, promised to make these efforts worth it. “Together we are unequivocally making history, just like Walt Disney did almost 70 years ago with the city of Anaheim and Disneyland,” he said before the vote. “It’s a tremendous responsibility for all of us and a privilege to be a steward of this vision for this very, very special place.”

This is just one hurdle cleared by Disney in the mission to expand Disneyland Resort, which is notoriously limited in space compared to bigger resorts such as Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Paris. Next, the project will need to be approved by the Anaheim City Council. According to The Los Angeles Times, this approval may come when the council next convenes in mid-April. Even once this zoning has been approved, Disney will still need secure planning approval for individual additions to the resort.

What would you like to see from an expansion of Disneyland Resort? Let us know in the comments!