The first Disney theme park, in Anaheim, California, is planning its first big changes in decades, including a substantial expansion that has been approved by the Anaheim City Council.
The plan, dubbed DisneylandForward, will allow Disney to build new ‘lands,’ some of which have been added at its other theme parks, on its huge existing parking lots. The parking lots will be replaced by multi-story garage buildings, freeing the land for lands based on recent Disney franchises, including Wakanda, Frozen and Zootopia.
The deal includes sweeteners for Anaheim; Disney will be required to include tens of millions for street improvements, affordable housing and other projects in its $1.9 billion plan.
The last major changes at Disneyland were the 1990s addition of Disney California Adventure and resort hotels. It’s the second-most visited theme park in the world, with about 17 million annual visitors.
