Anaheim Council expected to approve DisneylandForward plan on Tuesday

California Construction News staff writer

DisneylandForward, a $1.9 billion expansion plan, is expected to receive an approval from Anaheim City Council tomorrow.

If approved at Tuesday’s council meeting, Disney will be required to wait 30 days before starting the project. As part of a proposed development agreement, Disney would commit to investing a minimum of $1.9 billion in theme park, lodging, entertainment, shopping and dining within 10 years of any approval.

The meeting will start at 4 p.m.

The proposed development agreement calls for Disney to provide:

• $30 million for affordable housing in Anaheim within five years of approval
• $10 million: for sewer improvements along Katella Avenue
• $8 million for Anaheim parks within first year of any approval

DisneylandForward also includes a proposal for Disney to pay $39.6 million to take on responsibility for Magic Way, a road of 1,150 feet in length from Disneyland Drive to Walnut Street, and for entry drives into Disney parking at Hotel Way and at Clementine Street.

Construction is expected to last about four years.

“Allowing Disneyland to grow ensures that Anaheim thrives,” Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh E. Aitken said after a unanimous vote of support at an April council meeting.

Disney has worked with the city and consultants to complete the necessary impact reports for the the project that would nearly double Disneyland’s capacity, developing attraction noise reduction plans including minimum setback requirements and noise barriers and reconfiguring traffic patterns on surrounding streets. Construction noise and pollution is also addressed in the EIR.

DisneylandForward is a multi-decade proposal to update where types of development can go and how they mix together on space Disney already owns or operates around its Anaheim theme park.

The proposal calls for allowing theme park attractions alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive and theme park attractions alongside new shopping, dining and entertainment to the southeast on what is today the Toy Story Parking Area at Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

There is no plan for new acreage, square footage or hotel rooms to be developed. Instead, it would shift already approved development amounts across land Disney and proposed zoning changes would allow for the building of new theme park attractions and lands in Anaheim.

Disney has not shared specific development plans at this stage but has pointed to attractions at parks around the world as general examples, including a potential land based on the “Avatar” films.

Anaheim is considering an updated mix of uses, rather than a specific new land, attraction or other use.

If new zoning is adopted, individual projects would still undergo city planning review.