Disneyland’s plan to expand has been approved by the Anaheim City Planning Commission. Although this was not a straightforward process; the vote came at the end of a long 6-hour debate.
Disney had requested “approval of the Project to allow the transfer of uses permitted under The Disneyland Resort Project to other areas of The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan (DRSP) No. 92-1 and the Anaheim Resort Specific Plan (ARSP) No. 92-2 owned or leased by Disney or other subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company and to allow future streamlined review of Disney projects in these areas.”
In simple terms, Disney proposed using spaces currently reserved for parking lots as part of the DisneylandForward expansion. This motion was approved with votes totaling 5-1.
What is DisneylandForward?
DisneylandForward was first announced in 2021 as a multi-year effort to update the land-use approvals surrounding the Disneyland Resort.
If successful, this program would see Disney invest billions into the resort and surrounding area over the next decade. As part of this, Disney has also mentioned building affordable housing and investing in parking lots.
Ken Potrock, President of Disneyland Resort, has said the following:
"Thinking big and leading the way is both our legacy and our best path forward. Now is the time to be bold, to dream, to believe, and to lead! The Disneyland Resort is poised to create new jobs and revenues for our community as well as new immersive entertainment and experiences for loyal fans and new audiences for generations to come."
Disney is already teasing what kind of expansions could be coming. On the Disneyland Forward official website, Disney has referenced the likes of Zootopia, Tangled, and Peter Pan, noting their popularity in the Asian parks. The website also hints that a Disney Springs-esque development could be in the pipeline, creating thousands of new jobs for locals.
Disney shared the below map which details some of their expansion plans.
So, what does this mean? The Anaheim Planning Commission has approved the DisneylandForward plan and now it must be approved by the full City Council. If this is successful, DisneylandForward will get the green light to go ahead.
This vote is expected to take place on April 16th– check back with Themepark+ as we bring you the latest updates.
Member discussion