Disneyland Announces Multiyear Public Planning Effort

Disneyland announced that it plans to work with the city of Anaheim on expansion plans, revealing potential plans for mixed-use developments and a possible third theme park.

The DisneylandForward project updates the blueprint of the resort area and reimagines the area, growing the Disneyland resort and adding a mix of hotels, retail, dining and entertainment to the eastern and western edges of the property.

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On the west side of the resort, near Downtown Disney and the Lilo and Stitch parking lots, there are plans for a possible third theme park that would weave around the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel.

During a media briefing, officials noted that this would be more an expansion of the current theme parks rather than a “third gate.”

The east side expansion included theme park experiences, hotels, retail, dining and entertainment in what is currently the Toy Story parking lot next to the Anaheim Convention Center. The plans also call for new parking on Disney Way.

“What we do know today is that guests need and want more,” said Walt Disney Imagineering Jeanette Lomboy. “In order to give guests what they want, we need more flexibility here in Anaheim. Guests are demanding immersive integrated experiences that are not singular in their uses. We no longer think of uses as separate. Retail, dining, entertainment, theme parks and hotels are all part of the same experiences in the same place. And we need the space in our lands to create story-rich environments.”

Disneyland is hoping for flexibility from the city of Anaheim. The project would need to be approved by city leaders and a back-and-forth planning phase is expected to last two years before any decisions are made.

Mike Lyster, a sportsman for the city of Anaheim, said that the city is “receptive” to updating the current zoning for the area.

“In the past year, we have seen what the Disneyland Resort means to Anaheim’s economy and the role it plays in helping us provide vital public services for our residents, neighborhoods and businesses,” Mayor Harry Sidhu said in a statement.