NEWS: Disneyland Resort President Comments on Park Expansion Plans

Disney fans on the West Coast have a lot to be excited about recently!

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland ©Disney

Disney California Adventure is currently open for the limited ticketed event, A Touch of Disney, and it’s almost time for Disneyland Resort to welcome guests back into the theme parks! And, if that’s not enough for you, Disney is also in the process of planning for an expansion in the future.

Disney is referring to the project as “DisneylandFoward” and it entails the expansion of the theme parks and the addition of hotels, retail, dining, and entertainment. The project would not span beyond the 500-acres that Disneyland already owns, but Disney will need the city of Anaheim to give them more flexibility in the use of the land to proceed with the project.

©Disney

President of Disneyland Resort Ken Potrock shared the news of the expansion in an email to the Anaheim community today. He explains DisneylandForward as a “public planning effort with the city of Anaheim to update our development approvals.” This will need to be done because the current approvals limit the ways in which the land that Disney owns can be used.

DisneylandForward Concept Art ©Disney

In the letter, Potrock writes that the city of Anaheim has been heavily impacted by the global health crisis and says that the new plans will create “thousands of new jobs and help support Anaheim’s funding for important services.”

COVID-19 vaccination tents are set up in the north of the Toy Story parking lot at the Disneyland Resort which would be transformed under the proposed DisneylandForward plans (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

He ends the letter making it clear that Disney is not seeking any funding from the public nor looking to expand beyond the land that they already own. Instead, they are hoping to “meet the current and future demand in entertainment” by expanding on their current property limits.

©Disney

The discussions with the city of Anaheim are expected to last two years before Disneyland Resort could move forward with a finalized plan. We will continue to keep an eye out for updates and news regarding the Disneyland expansion! Stay tuned for the latest!