Disney officials hope to clear one of the last hurdles Monday for their theme park expansion plan, which they say would spur at least $1.9 billion in new development at the Anaheim resort over the next 10 years.
The DisneylandForward project will face a vote Monday night by the Anaheim Planning Commission, after nearly three years of reviews and analysis.
The requested changes to the park's zoning would allow Disney, a dominant figure in Anaheim politics, more flexibility to reimagine its current 490-acre footprint in Anaheim over the coming decades, combining new attractions, theme parks, shops, restaurants and parking lots. to “provide continued, long-term growth for The Disneyland Resort,” the city's latest report says.
“In the 1990s, the city of Anaheim approved specific plans that would guide the growth of Disneyland Resort and business in the newly formed Anaheim Resort area,” the DisneylandForward website said. “And while those plans resulted in significant improvements for the entire Anaheim Resort, their 'traditional' district/zone approach does not allow for the diverse, integrated experiences that theme park guests now seek, severely limiting Disney's ability to continue investing in Anaheim.”
The project does not include specific plans for new attractions, but Disney officials have offered a glimpse of possible additions, such as immersive Frozen, Zootopia, Tron or Peter Pan experiences similar to those at Disney locations in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. . The project, if approved, promises a minimum investment of $1.9 billion in the theme park, lodging, entertainment, retail and restaurants within a decade, according to city officials.
The Anaheim city staff report on the project recommends planning commission approval. If the commission agrees, the proposal would require final approval from the City Council, likely in mid-April. Even if the new zoning is approved, individual projects would still be subject to city planning approval.
The proposal outlines an increase of 4,376 theme park-related parking spaces, as well as a variety of traffic improvements, including the addition of bike lanes and pedestrian bridges and the absorption of some local roads under Disney's supervision.
The expected development by Anaheim's largest employer would generate significantly more economic output and tax revenue, according to an analysis commissioned by Walt Disney Co. The new deal, if approved, would also allow Disney to provide $30 million for affordable housing within five years. $40 million for street and transportation improvements and $10 million for sewer improvements.
“The DisneylandForward Project is expected to generate additional revenue for the city that will increase the city's general fund to be used for a wide variety of public benefits, including funding police and fire personnel and resources, local school districts, parks, libraries and capital. improvements,” according to the city staff report.
The project's environmental impact report found that the construction phase would have significant and unavoidable effects on noise pollution, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions in the surrounding community, but Disney officials cited mitigation measures, including the installation of 12-foot-high noise barriers.
It was not immediately clear how much opposition the project would encounter Monday night. Many nearby residents and businesses have expressed concerns during the lengthy review process about noise, traffic, increased crime or pollution, but there was also plenty of support for the project at a city workshop last month.
Some have also called for Disney to invest more in the community, given the scale of this project and how many of the company's low-wage workers struggle to make ends meet.
Duane Roberts, editor and publisher of the Anaheim Investigator website, pointed to the massive 1,400-unit affordable housing project funded by Walt Disney Co. near Disney World in Central Florida, calling the $30 million promised for affordable housing in Anaheim “insignificant.” . He said he wasn't necessarily opposed to the DisneylandForward project, but he wanted city officials to push for more local support from Disney.
“Why do we get so little compared to Florida?” Roberts asked city officials last month. “Don't we, like them, have a housing crisis in this state?”
