NEWS: Major Vote on Disney's Theme Park Expansion Plans Coming TODAY

Disneyland’s latest expansion is taking another step… FORWARD very soon.

Disneyland

DisneylandForward, the massive Disneyland plan that calls for the resort to expand by 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” cleared its first a biggest legislative hurdle when the proposal passed an initial Anaheim City Council vote on April 17th. However, another vote is yet to come.

The DisneylandForward project is set to come before the Anaheim City Council a second time on May 7th, where it must pass once again. The likelihood of the vote passing seems high, as this second vote is described by most sources as “procedural” and the first vote featured a 7-0 margin of victory for Disney.

DisneylandForward concept art ©Disney

Assuming DisneylandForward passes as expected, the project will “not grant any new acreage, square footage or hotel rooms to be developed. Instead, it would shift already approved development amounts across land Disney owns or operates on.” According to the company, they have over 1,000 acres of possible expansion land under these parameters, and they’ve teased everything from something similar to Disney Springs to theme park expansions, including Wakanda and a West Coast Pandora.

©Disney

As part of the project, Disney would also “commit to investing a minimum of $1.9 billion in theme park, lodging, entertainment, shopping and dining within 10 years of any approval.” In addition, the project allocates “$30 million from the company for affordable housing within five years, $8 million for parks in the city in the first year, $40 million from Disney for street and transportation upgrades, and $10 million for sewer improvements along Katella Avenue.”

©Disney

After the first approval, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken lauded the project, saying “When Disneyland grows, Anaheim thrives. Last night’s vote to approve the DisneylandForward Plan will benefit Anaheim for decades to come. The plan will provide important funding to the City of Anaheim to build affordable housing, enhance parks, and improve infrastructure. Our city has a special and unique relationship with the Disneyland Resort, which began in the 1950s and continues to this day. Disney’s commitment to partner with Anaheim and invest billions of dollars is a win for our community.”

If DisneylandForward passes the May 7th Anaheim City Council vote, changes reflected in the plan can begin to be implemented after 30 days. Stay tuned to DFB for more DisneylandForward updates.