Disneyland Forward receives final approval from Anaheim City Council
The Anaheim City Council has given final approval to a massive $1.9 billion expansion proposal known as Disneyland Forward.
City Council members voted 7-0 during Tuesday night’s meeting.
The measure received preliminary approval during a city council meeting on April 17, after an eight-hour public hearing. The Disneyland Forward proposal was initially announced by Disney in 2021.
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The Disneyland Forward proposal is a 40-year agreement that would guide where and how future developments would occur, allowing for new attractions, shops and restaurants to be built within areas of the resort that Disney already owns and operates.
Park attractions would be built alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive, along with buildings, shopping, dining and entertainment where the Toy Story Parking Area at Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard stands today.
Any changes related to Disneyland Forward won’t be officially implemented until June 7.
The company would also pay $40 million to buy Magic Way, Hotel Way and a part of Clementine Street from the city.
Magic Way serves drivers using the Pixar Pals Parking Structure and visiting the Disneyland Hotel. The street will be transformed into a pedestrian walkway, a city spokesperson previously told KTLA.
During Tuesday’s meeting, some Anaheim residents once again expressed their disapproval of the sale of Magic Way, while others asked the council to reconsider the entire proposal before providing a final vote on it.
Ken Potrock, the Disneyland Resort president, once again referred to Disneyland Forward as the resort’s “legacy project” and reaffirmed that Disney is committed to spending at least $1.9 billion on the resort over the next decade,
The city specified in the proposed development agreement for Disneyland Forward that the minimum investment would go towards theme park attractions, entertainment, lodging, shopping and dining.
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Investments for parking, road improvements and bridges would be separate.
The expansion plans could also benefit the city outside of the theme park resort since Disney has set aside millions of dollars for improvements to infrastructure such as sewers and roads around the resort area.
The company also announced it’s committed to spending $30 million for affordable housing, $8 million for city parks, and continuing workforce programs in Anaheim.
As for the new experiences and attractions coming to the resort, no official plans have been announced, but fans and company officials alike have some ideas on what could come to “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
Fans hope that lands, rides and attractions based on “Tangled,” “Zootopia” and “Tron” and expanded areas based on “Peter Pan” and “Toy Story” will be in the works.
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro also talked about the possibility of bringing Frozen’s Arendelle, Black Panther’s Wakanda and Coco’s Santa Cecilia to life in some capacity at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and potentially its sister park in Orlando last year.
It’s likely an official answer from the company regarding new additions coming to the resort under Disneyland Forward won’t be unveiled until the D23 fan event, which takes place Aug. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Aside from the proposal, an “Avatar”-themed experience is expected to come to the resort at some point in the future, based on comments from Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is also slated to open later this year at Disneyland.
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