Disney’s California parks may soon include new areas inspired by the movie “Frozen” and the city of “Zootopia”. The expansion plan has been approved by the Anaheim City Council.
Disney plans to invest a minimum of $1.9 billion over the next ten years to change its 490-acre (488-hectare) campus in Southern California, which is heavily populated. Disney is planning to make its Southern California theme parks much bigger, which would be the largest expansion in decades. The goal is to provide guests with more immersive experiences. Disney would need to spend a large amount of money, tens of millions of dollars, on improving the streets, providing affordable housing, and other infrastructure in the city.
The council unanimously approved the project on Wednesday morning after a long meeting that started on Tuesday evening. Disney’s plan needs a second council vote in May for final approval.
The plan would not make Disney’s presence bigger in Anaheim, which relies on tourism. However, it would allow Disney to add more rides and entertainment by moving parking to a new multi-story structure and redeveloping the large lot. It would also involve making other changes to how Disney uses its properties.
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney shopping area are located in a city 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. They are surrounded by freeways and residential areas. The company believes that this plan is important for creating new and exciting attractions.
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“We are very excited that the City of Anaheim has agreed to collaborate on this important project,” said Ken Potrock, President of Disneyland Resort, in a statement. He also mentioned that the company is looking forward to the final vote in May. “We are excited about the future we will share!”
Many people who spoke at the city council meeting talked about Disney’s plan to purchase a public street and make it into a walkway for pedestrians. They also mentioned Disney’s plan to create a crosswalk on a nearby street.
Resident Cassandra Taylor said she is excited about the new rides that will be added in the expansion. However, she is worried about Disney’s plan to make a city street private. She first learned about this idea from a newspaper article last month, even though she had attended two informational presentations.
“They might have a planned walkway for pedestrians now, but once they own it, they could easily decide to remove it,” Taylor said. “It will belong to them and only them.” Voters will not have any influence on how it will be used in the future.
Disney has invested in various attractions in Southern California over the past twenty years, such as Cars Land, Pixar Pier, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, and Avengers Campus. The company has not decided which stories it will feature because the new development will take a long time.
This is the first time Disney has made a big change to its California theme parks since the 1990s. Back then, they got permission to turn Disneyland, their first theme park that was built in 1955 and known as “the happiest place on Earth,” into a resort hub. Disney later constructed the Disney California Adventure theme park and the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment area.
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