Why April 16th Is a Crucial Date for Disney Fans

Disney has a lot of big plans for its theme parks in the future!

Disney California Adventure

CEO Bob Iger has previously announced plans for expansions at several theme parks, many of which are currently under construction (hello, Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea!). But one expansion we’ve been crossing our fingers for is the Disneyland Forward project out in Anaheim, CA. And coming soon, there could be some big updates!

The idea with Disneyland Forward is that Disney wants to change areas that were traditionally zoned for specific uses such as hotels or parking lots. The way the zones are designed currently, Disney cannot use zones that are specified districts for anything other than what it’s zoned for. To do this, Disneyland needs approval from the City of Anaheim. And they’ve been working on getting that approval for quite some time.

Carthay Circle Restaurant

One of the biggest hurdles was the Anaheim Planning Commission meeting on March 11th, 2024. During that meeting the second topic on the agenda was the Disneyland Forward plan, and that one proposal lasted over 5 HOURS before a vote was cast. The long night ended after 11 PM PT with a 5-1 vote to recommend the project to move forward.

Pixar Pier

According to the Orange County Register, the next big step is for the Anaheim City Council to vote on the proposal. This meeting will take place on April 16th, 2024. The proposal includes $1.9 billion worth of theme park expansions.

Disney California Adventure

Another key point of the proposal is that it requests permission for Disney to build more thematic elements, including as many as four structures that measure up to 300 feet tall. “The general intent is to establish a building height hierarchy in which most theme park elements will range from 40 to 250 feet high, with up to four structural thematic elements/icons that may be up to 300 feet in height to establish visual interest and orientation within the theme park,” says the draft document.

Haunted Mansion in Disneyland

These would dwarf some of the current thematic elements like Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Matterhorn, which are 77 and 147 feet tall, respectively. Currently, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout is the tallest thematic element on Disneyland Resort property, standing at 187 feet.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland

We’ll be interested to see how this vote goes during the next meeting. Disney first proposed the Disneyland Forward project back in 2021, so the progress has been slow so far. We’ll keep you updated with any more changes and news!