Third Gate Question

[Uncle Bob]

If/when they build the third gate in Ahaheim, where should they put the front gate?

Facing Katella?
Facing Harbor?
Facing the corner?
Other options?

[Mojave]

That's a great question.

I would be a little depressed to have the gate adjoining a major road like Katella or Harbor. Standing in line for a ticket or to get in the park with traffic whizzing by, horns honking, etc right next to me is not my idea of fun. The corner seems even worse - traffic on both sides.

How about a long narrow-ish walkway with an esplanade, main gate maybe a third of the way inside the block. Away from traffic, space for show buildings/backstage space on either side of the walkway.

Note: I don't think Disney owns the entirety of the NW or NE corners.

[caesarboxfan]

I agree with Mojave. It's too Knott's Berry Farm for my taste to have the entry right there on Harbor or Katella.

I like the idea of a hallway, in a size comparable to the the parking entrance where Harbor & Convention Way intersect.

[DisneyIPresume]

Originally Posted by Mojave

That's a great question.

I would be a little depressed to have the gate adjoining a major road like Katella or Harbor. Standing in line for a ticket or to get in the park with traffic whizzing by, horns honking, etc right next to me is not my idea of fun. The corner seems even worse - traffic on both sides.

How about a long narrow-ish walkway with an esplanade, main gate maybe a third of the way inside the block. Away from traffic, space for show buildings/backstage space on either side of the walkway.

Note: I don't think Disney owns the entirety of the NW or NE corners.

Originally Posted by caesarboxfan

I agree with Mojave. It's too Knott's Berry Farm for my taste to have the entry right there on Harbor or Katella.

I like the idea of a hallway, in a size comparable to the the parking entrance where Harbor & Convention Way intersect.

You would be surprised how DCA is configured. The backside of Paradise Pier basically goes the length of Katella. And if you count the access road that leads from the Timon entrance to Disneyland Drive there are cars that are even closer than that. Especially when this access road bends to let you out on Disneyland Drive -- this road is literally right next to Pizza Om Mow Mow.

[Mojave]

Originally Posted by DisneyIPresume

You would be surprised how DCA is configured. The backside of Paradise Pier basically goes the length of Katella. And if you count the access road that leads from the Timon entrance to Disneyland Drive there are cars that are even closer than that. Especially when this access road bends to let you out on Disneyland Drive -- this road is literally right next to Pizza Om Mow Mow.

Trust me, I know - I'm a big time satellite image viewer.

The difference is, that is the backside of the park, blocked off by show buildings and soon-to-be Radiator Springs cliffs. Having a main entrance, with people walking around, standing in line for tickets, trams loading and unloading, all right there next to a main road sounds bad, if not dangerous.

[penguinsoda]

My concern is where is parking for this park going to be? I doubt that they would build the entrance "right on" any roadway, Katella or Harbor. It would most likely be something like Disneyland use to be, with the entrance facing off of a parking lot, or some type of esplanade in front of the actual entrance that the parking lot or tram service feeds into.

But from a purely Feng Shui feel, I think the entrance should face Katella, although looking at where the property is it might fit better to face Harbor.

[Uncle Bob]

Well, it could have a landscaped area or berm seperating the gates from the street, that's not so much the issue for me as that once you pick a gate location, you orient your whole park based on that. Also, even if you were to do what you suggest, you still have to have the entry from the street to this new plaza somewhere, so where would that be?

It's something that I think hurts DCA, as it is facing the wrong way. Something not too many people ever actually think about, but one of its inherant problems is that the whole park is always in shadow with the sun in your face. The orientation toward the South just doesn't work well, but it seems in some ways to again be the most logical place for the third gates entry too. I'm just not sure which factors will in the end drive the orientation of the third gate, but as much as a Northern facing layout makes more sense from a solar perspective, it really wouldn't be funtional on the third gate site either.

[caesarboxfan]

Nice clarification, Mojave.

DIP, think about how Knott's is at it's entrance. There's a big road right next to where the entrance plaza is. How's that for theming?

[Baloo]

The third gate is designed to have the main gate facing Katella. Obviously the gates and tool booth would not be placed against the street like Knott's. The idea is to have an esplanade and possibly a hotel to serve as a barrier with Katella.

I personally which they would continue to buy the empty lots along katella and then if possible take over the small motels in the corner of Katella and Harbor.

I would then build a nice themed hotel in that same corner and build the gates right behind it.

At that point i would fork over some money and convince Anaheim that the safety of the tourist is important and would build a elevated crosswalk that connected all four corners of the Katella and Harbor area.

This would give guest the ability to walk from one gate to the other two.


Now this is wishful thinking but the next best thing would also be to finally kick out the 7-eleven and the existing motels and build another hotel there. Behind the hotel i would then build a second gate entrance to the south side of DCA.


Obviously that will not happen since it involves buying some land that is not for sell.




Getting back to reality, like i mentioned the third gate will have its entrance on the katella side. Pretty much in the corner of Katella and clementine where the existing employee parking entrance is now. The parking for this park will be in the new parking structure that will be built shortly next to Gardenwalk in the corner of clementine and Disney way

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...n0k_&encType=1

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Baloo

The third gate is designed to have the main gate facing Katella. Obviously the gates and tool booth would not be placed against the street like Knott's. The idea is to have an esplanade and possibly a hotel to serve as a barrier with Katella.

I personally which they would continue to buy the empty lots along katella and then if possible take over the small motels in the corner of Katella and Harbor.

I would then build a nice themed hotel in that same corner and build the gates right behind it.

At that point i would fork over some money and convince Anaheim that the safety of the tourist is important and would build a elevated crosswalk that connected all four corners of the Katella and Harbor area.

This would give guest the ability to walk from one gate to the other two.


Now this is wishful thinking but the next best thing would also be to finally kick out the 7-eleven and the existing motels and build another hotel there. Behind the hotel i would then build a second gate entrance to the south side of DCA.


Obviously that will not happen since it involves buying some land that is not for sell.




Getting back to reality, like i mentioned the third gate will have its entrance on the katella side. Pretty much in the corner of Katella and clementine where the existing employee parking entrance is now. The parking for this park will be in the new parking structure that will be built shortly next to Gardenwalk in the corner of clementine and Disney way

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...n0k_&encType=1

Thanks Baloo. I didn't know that they had already made that decision. For a while I had been leaning toward that side, but I also could see some advantages to the Harbor side, it's not an easy decision. But the orientation toward AGW and the parking seems to make that the best option. I love your idea for the corner, that would be really cool, I wish they could do that.

[dizzneeland]

Here's to hoping the idea for the park is original!

[Uncle Bob]

Another point that Baloo didn't mention that I thought of, is that the tram drop off area would also be mostly between the plaza and the street, so the gates of the park would be probably be at good distance from the street. Just to alleviate those concerns.

[penguinsoda]

Ah I had forgotten about the new parking structure that will be built, which makes the Katella side the "front" of choice. Baloo has some good points/ideas. I'd like to see some kind of monorail system linking the three parks, but I don't see that ever happening.

[dizzneeland]

Originally Posted by penguinsoda

Ah I had forgotten about the new parking structure that will be built, which makes the Katella side the "front" of choice. Baloo has some good points/ideas. I'd like to see some kind of monorail system linking the three parks, but I don't see that ever happening.

That'd be a tricky lay-out. If they were to extend the rail-of-mono across Harbor/Katella, it'd be interesting to see just how they plan on doing it.

Maybe if WDI design a catapult system, they could move guests over to the third gate quickly.

[penguinsoda]

Originally Posted by dizzneeland

Maybe if WDI design a catapult system, they could move guests over to the third gate quickly.

Now that would be a real E ticket ride.


Or maybe even... dare I say it... some type of elevated people mover between the parks? With a centrally located main station between Disneyland and DCA....