Disneyland officials will make their case to the Anaheim Planning Commission on Monday night for approval of a 10-year expansion project to make the iconic park more 'immersive' for visitors.
The project, called DisneylandForward, is a $1.9 billion expansion. The AP reported Disney "could place rides and entertainment options on what is currently a sprawling, 50-acre parking lot — and move parking for Disneyland to a multistory structure — all while keeping within the boundaries of a resort surrounded by residential neighborhoods."
The proposal is looking to have “theme park attractions alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive,” according to the city’s website.
It’s also seeking additional parking as well as possible footbridges that would go across Harbor Boulevard and Disneyland Drive.
This the first time since the 1990s that Disney looking to add a massive change to the Anaheim theme park, according to the Associated Press.
On the city website, Anaheim officials said it’s open to evaluating the project because the visitors of the theme park “account for more than half the revenue we use to serve our residents with police, fire, libraries, community services and to pay down city debt.”
One woman told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener that although she likes the idea of Disneyland’s presence expanding, she doesn’t want changes being made to the hotels that are not on Disneyland’s property.
It’s unclear when construction on DisneylandForward would begin should it be approved.
The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at Anaheim City Hall.
KTLA reported Disney’s goal is to create what it calls "immersive experiences for tourists, similar to the attraction Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in California in 2019. The company said it doesn’t yet know which stories would be central to the new developments, but the idea is to create areas like “Zootopia” in Shanghai Disneyland, where animal characters walk through a vibrant cityscape that resembles the setting of the film."