Is Disney really proposing to purchase Gardenwalk?

[sdjeff4sc]

It's actually pretty big and nice... That and bubba gumps gets alot of business.. Te gardenwalks actually not that small.. There's 3 levels ya know.. And Disney would be smart in buying it.. It's a ghost town because of it's bad location.. But if didn't would make a road connecting it to the esplanade passing newly built Disney hotels it would get more buisness... Oh well.. One can dream..

The site is already zoned for, and has city approval for 2 hotels and some DVC units....... Disney has always wanted more hotel rooms of their own to sell more vacation packages to everyone West of the Rockies the same way they aggressively market WDW for the East Coast. Additional hotels make the Resort a true "Resort". Unfortunately, the hotels are zoned for Luxury and not Value resorts like WDW's which allow them to cater to every demographic........

Again, with the 3rd Gate site - Gardenwalk would actually be Disney's version of Universal Citywalk - they literally would funnel traffic from the Pumba lot through Gardenwalk just to get to the entrance for the 3rd Gate. If THAT didn't drive up traffic and retail reciepts for Gardenwalk tennants, NOTHING will....... As for clubs? They already have HOB in Downtown Disney, Fire & Ice would see an upsurge in traffic as would 300 Anaheim (bowling alley - a hip take on bowling) and with a transport connection w/ ARTIC (right across the street - whose route is in the final planning stages already) you have an "urban" entertainment center that could attract locals as much a resort visitors.

I say Disney's acquisition of Gardenwalk is a no-brainer........ especially if they own/operate the hotels and put in add'l DVC units as already zoned/approved...... Anaheim benefits from an increase in the resort-tax, tennants at Gardenwalk finally have a client/customer base, everyone wins.....

[ShelbyH]

Gardenwalk is a flop because the stores stink, not because of location. My concern is that Disney has enough trouble trying to get stores in DTD--how are they going to populate Gardenwalk too? Of course it makes sense for them to buy it and put in luxury hotels and DVC condos, and I'm sure that will happen eventually.

And yes, the Cheesecake Factory is quite large and right on the corner of the property. For the people desiring a Red Lobster (really???) there's Bubba Gumps and for high-end seafood, there's McCormick and Schmick's. The theater is quite nice and much preferable to the AMC--it's a more luxury theater with an older clientele, particularly because they serve alcohol and have an actual cafe. It's doing much better with its new management.

The reason why you can have two Starbucks across the street from each other is the same reason why you can have a gas station on each corner. Most Starbucks customers are in-and-out and will pull into the Starbucks on the side of the street they're driving on. It's a hassle to make a left-hand turn across several lanes of traffic or make a u-turn to get into a Starbucks parking lot when all you're going to do is run in, get some coffee, and leave. Both can survive because they get the traffic going whichever way they're on.

[JMora]

The theater is quite nice and much preferable to the AMC--it's a more luxury theater with an older clientele, particularly because they serve alcohol

OMG, I didn't know that, now I'm going to start going to that movie house. I was going to see a movie in IMAX some times ago but it fell through because that IMAX wasn't playing TRON on IMAX. It's rare for theaters to serve alcohol. I know that Arclight cinemas serves alcohol.

[ShelbyH]

OMG, I didn't know that, now I'm going to start going to that movie house. I was going to see a movie in IMAX some times ago but it fell through because that IMAX wasn't playing TRON on IMAX. It's rare for theaters to serve alcohol. I know that Arclight cinemas serves alcohol.

It's great to have a nice beer with your movie! I really like this theater. And if you check their website UltraStar Cinemas: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Anaheim & Arizona Movie Theaters and friend them on Facebook, you can get coupons as well.

[toonaspie]

Genius idea you guys. It does make sense that a Pleasure Island type concept would likely maintain business in an area that caters to both locals and tourists than a resort like WDW that is just tourists. It would be a great idea to have one of the shopping complexes be a Pleasure Island type place and the other cater to families. It also sounds like a prime opportunity to bring back a certain Adventurer's Club in an area where it can cater to a brand new audience and locale.

[Uncle Bob]

I really like the "Uptown Disney" idea w/ 2 Disney operated hotels and the addition of DVC units at Gardenwalk, but I think the parking at Gardenwalk needs to stay exclusive to Gardenwalk.

We know Disney owns the Toy Story Lot/Strawberry Fields south of Gardenwalk. We know Disney owns the Pumba lot North of Gardenwalk. What "I" don't know is if Disney also owns the buildings/land immediately North of the Pumba lot. Acquiring Gardenwalk to give Disney control of the "continuity of theme" between these two properties seems like a no-brainer to me............ Walt himself always regretted not buying up more land around DL and the hotels along Harbor are what happened because Walt & Roy were tapped-out when they built DL.

Yes, the Pumba lot and the hotels East of Harbor would be a good location for a 3rd gate just because of it's closer proximity to the current resort, but it's doubtful those hotels can be obtained. Additionally, there is the small matter of Harbor Blvd running right down the middle between them - it probably can't be put underground for security reasons and I'm not sure the City of Anaheim would be thrilled w/ the idea because of the loss of resort tax revenue from the existing hotels.

A simpler solution is a resort transit hub connecting w/ ARTIC on the corner of Disney Way and Clementine, complete w/ a parking structure to serve the current resort and future 3rd Gate, Gardenwalk becomes "Uptown Disney" and funnels guests for the 3rd Gate through the retail district sort of like at Universal. But I agree that Pumba is too far away to expect guests to walk from the DL/DCA - either a PM or the current trams could use the power lines right of way (at ground level - to reduce costs) from Pumba to the current shuttle drop off area of the Esplanade. To achieve this, I proposed an underpass at the intersection of Disney Way and Harbor, utilizing the old parking entrance to the resort heading north to the current drop-off area and maybe even building a berm along Harbor from all the way from Tomorrowland to the Southwest corner of the resort property planted with trees to shield the resort form the outside.......

If Disney can get Gardenwalk at this point, I say grab it - you never know when additional land in the resort area will become available, or at what price......

Jeff,

I don't know for sure either, but Al reported that they did buy that property north of Pumbaa. You can read the articles, below to see what he said, just look for the parking sections and these two updates have most of the key info. But according to Al, they have bought the property and plan to have a bridge with moving sidewalks to take people from the parking garage and ARTIC to the esplanade.

MiceAge.com - A different look at Disney...

3-P: Parading, Parking & Planning - MiceAge.com

In regard to the rest of your post, in many ways I agree with most of your ideas. One of the other key things in terms of the third gate location is that the current Toy Story location is already zoned for theme park use. It goes way back to the plans that were approved when the entire resort expansion project was first approved in the early 90's.

The other thing that I think is probably holding Disney back is that the investment probably looks really bad to the sharp pencil boys. I'm sure they're looking at it and saying that it's going to take way too long to recoup the investment. The place isn't even full, and I'm sure many of the tenants are struggling and some probably have already negotiated discounted rent or aren't even able to pay it on time. Plus Disney's going to have additional ongoing overhead costs and would probably want to invest even more to give it a Disney makeover. I really don't think the numbers would look good.

In some ways, it makes the most sense for them to try and buy it just before the third gate is built. That's the point when it would be most beneficial, because at that point they'll really want to be able to control the "continuity of theme" as you call it. The question for them is are they willing to possibly lose out on it because they waited too long. I think they'll probably buy it, but it only helps them to drag it out as long as possible.

[Bob Weaver]

"Buy in the path of progress."

[Uncle Bob]

"Buy in the path of progress."

According to who?

[Bob Weaver]

Will Rogers

[lotsacats]

A friend of mine believes there is a sure-fire way to get people to beat a path to Gardenwalk, and that is to put a Trader Joe's in there. I'm not sure it's feasible, but I love the idea!! Maybe Disney and TJ's could come to some kind of agreement. I've never been in a TJ's that wasn't crowded, and Anaheim desperately needs one. Something like that within walking distance of Disneyland could be an absolute money maker for all involved. Thoughts, anyone?

[Drewfilmboy]

A friend of mine believes there is a sure-fire way to get people to beat a path to Gardenwalk, and that is to put a Trader Joe's in there. I'm not sure it's feasible, but I love the idea!! Maybe Disney and TJ's could come to some kind of agreement. I've never been in a TJ's that wasn't crowded, and Anaheim desperately needs one. Something like that within walking distance of Disneyland could be an absolute money maker for all involved. Thoughts, anyone?

Yeah Trader Joe's are always packed. They're a really good grocery store franchise that offers healthy organic options which everyone should be eating. But.... they're also a grocery store. I don't see how or why a grocery store should be implemented in a resort shopping district. Just doesn't make sense. Besides, Disney doesn't want people buying groceries when they could be spending their money on overpriced, albeit tasty food on property.

I hope they go through with buying GW and building that huge parking structure north of it. It would alleviate so many parking issues the resort is facing. Plus it would free up many of the surface lots around the parks for expansion.

[lotsacats]

Besides, Disney doesn't want people buying groceries when they could be spending their money on overpriced, albeit tasty food on property.

That's why I thought it might not be feasible. I wonder if Disney is trying (and succeeding) to keep Trader Joe's out of Anaheim. It only make sense for TJ's to put one there, or at least in Garden Grove. It would be one of their busiest stores in the country. If Gardenwalk had a TJ's to begin with, it wouldn't be failing now.

[ShelbyH]

I absolutely agree that a Trader Joe's, or a Whole Foods (better in my opinion) would be a HUGE hit with the locals. The closest TJ's is in Orange off the 55 and the closest WF is in, I believe, Tustin. Actually among our group of Anaheim locals (in the Colony historic district) there is definitely widespread support of a TJ's or WF in that location, despite the fact that it would be a bit odd in an outdoor mall. Of all of the stores I can think of that would attract locals, that would be it.

[lotsacats]

As much as I love Whole Foods, I've found that Trader Joe's is quite a bit cheaper, and better on the budget of many families traveling to Disneyland while trying to save a few dollars. There is a small vacant lot on Harbor south of DL and north of the Residence Inn that I keep hoping Trader Joe's will occupy someday, but as I said, I wonder if Disney is taking steps to keep them out. The area around Anaheim/Garden Grove is dotted with several TJ's, with the DL area a big empty donut hole. I just find that very suspicious.

[Aladdin]

It's great to have a nice beer with your movie! I really like this theater. And if you check their website UltraStar Cinemas: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Anaheim & Arizona Movie Theaters and friend them on Facebook, you can get coupons as well.

Yes, these upscale theaters definitely look like they are going to account for the "higher dollar" movie going clientele. Some of the beginnings of this could be seen with the Theater at The Grove at Farmers Market, and also with the refurbishment of the Arclight Cinerama Dome.

Another growing group of theaters, which is even a step above UltraStar, is called "iPic",
Take Our Video Tour - IPic Theaters
Locations - IPic Theaters