How could Disneyland expand beyond a rumored 3rd gate?

[mpabis525]

Let me preface this by saying it is only a hypothetical and I have no way of knowing what Disney's plans are or what property they actually hold.

With that said, I am curious what Disney would do if they ever decided to undertake a major expansion of Disneyland or add additional parks in Anaheim beyond the rumored 3rd gate at the Toy Story Parking Lot.

By looking at google maps, there isn't much to work with in the immediate vicinity. Park operations surround the immeadiate border of the park and are needed next door no matter what size it becomes. Housing borders to the north, west and south of the park. Existing hotels are to the east along with what I consider the biggest obstacle, the 5 freeway.

So to hypothetically expand, would Disney:

1. Consider buying out whole square miles of houses and risk the public backlash.
2. Level hotels to the east and squeeze a park in there but depriving the park of much needed bed space
3. Expand beyond the 5 freeway and takeover existing industrial land

I think option 3 is the most feasible, but having the parks separated by the 5 would seem somewhat weird to me.

Just a thought. Anyone have any opinions?

[mickdaddy]

I don't think you could expand on the other side of I5 because there would be little way to really connect the parks! Trying to get comercial and hotel space in close proximity to the park is the best bet to me.

[swampymarsh]

Once 1 was impossible. Once 2 was impossible. Once 3 was impossible but it has basic approval to be built by Anaheim. Anything is possible.

[magicaldisney77]

if the DLR is going to expand i would think it would be along Habor & disney way, they already have some land there. they would have to buy garden walk and buy up a few hotels along disney way and harbor and then you have alot of land to work with cause right across from garden walk they have the toy story lot. so if they do that i could see them easily putting in 2 parks and a hotel.

[DonaldMissingPants]

Disney should have taken gardenwalk when they had the chance!

[Benny]

Who owns GardenWalk now?

[Chesire]

Who owns GardenWalk now?

Arcturus, a real estate company.

[ohmyjustin]

I don't think you could expand on the other side of I5 because there would be little way to really connect the parks! Trying to get comercial and hotel space in close proximity to the park is the best bet to me.

If WDW proves anything about this it's that as long as there is someway to get between the parks, it can work. If the park is good as a stand-alone park, then that is even better. But there is a strong indication looking at the past that any new park won't be considered a "full-day" park by many.

[Mojave]

I think the DLR has plenty of expansion possibilities for a relatively long time.

Remember, it took 45 years to get a 2nd park and 2nd hotel. Even though development is likely much more accelerated now, it could easily be 20 years from now (30 from the 2nd park) before we have a 3rd park.

Ideally, they will buy the entire block of land around the strawberry fields, which is some hotels and what look like condos and duplexes (ie, no single family homes, which somewhat lessens the ick factor of displacing families) over the coming years. That will be 3rd park and another hotel.

I'm pretty sure they own land north of the Pumbaa lot and if they work creatively with hotel/motel owners and the city of Anaheim, they could potentially get the entire Katella/Harbor/I-5 triangle. That's room for a 4th park and hotel/s. By creatively working with the hotel/motel owners, I mean moving them to land near the park, for example across the I-5, and providing good transportation (Monorail, PM?) to the parks. I know these cheaper hotels are extremely important to the economy of the area, to Disneyland and to guests, so they are needed, but "moving" them to a different location so that the DLR can expand helps everyone, in the long run.

Disney also has the option of moving parking structures across the freeway and even some production/corporate buildings, freeing up additional space on the westside.

All of that would double the size of the resort without having to put parks on the other side of the freeway and making guests walk under the freeway or something, ugh.

This will all be decades in the future and be done bit by bit. Buy up a motel here and there, a condo unit, as people move out, here and there. I think Disney can do this well up to the 100th anniversary and still not have to think "outside the box (the I-5)".

[film975]

I honestly think that two parks is quite enough for the Disneyland Resort. I really don't want to see it to become another Disney World.

[DJS]

I think they'd rebuild internally before expanding outwardly. But of course, they could start Marvel Land somewhere....

[magicaldisney77]

i agree! i love the way the DLR is

I honestly think that two parks is quite enough for the Disneyland Resort. I really don't want to see it to become another Disney World.

[thomaslw]

a fourth gate would be highly unlikely and i would bet money never happens in our lifetimes. but if dlr really wanted to expand, the most plausible way would be to buy up all the property from s.anaheim to harbor, and all of the land next to harbor. none of that land is houses, it's all commercial, which always makes things easier. at this point all the land from the 5/harbor all the way down to where the toystory lots are now would be owned by disney. that is enough room for two smaller sized parks. demolish disney way east of harbor, and that triangle bounded by the 5, harbor, and katelia can be divided into two parks. the current enterence to disneyland on harbor should be mirrored on the other side to get into the eastern 2 parks. thus that area will effectively be the center of the entire DLR resort. to be honest, if disneyland can purchase all that, then they could probably demolish harbor too from the 5 to ketlella, thus forming a true center for all four parks (right where the current drop off point for the toy story bus is). the enterence to the two new parks could be essentially exactly where harbor is now.

now that we have 4 parks, we need way more dlr hotels. the lots around paradise pier and downtown disney need to be converted into 2 multilevel structures, and that's enough room to stick down 2 additional hotels (one in the lot south of paradise pier, one in the lot north of disney hotel). that gives us 5 DLR hotels all in the same area. the existing cast member lot (the lot adjacent north of toy story lot) should become administrative buildings (for the new parks) and you could stick a hotel or two. keep in mind we just blew up a ton of hotels in our buying spree, so now disneyland can profit from the new hotel needs. the current toy story lots needs to be a large mickey-like parking structure to support all the new people. bus system would drop ppl off just south of the new park center entence on harbor (cept harbor is now a disney street like the tram street, so there is no other traffic).

why isnt toy story lot turned into the 3rd gate in this case? because its tougher to develop in residential zoned land and it's not really a large space to begin with.

[Spence]

Personally, I like the two parks they way they are and I hope Disney doesn't build another nearby park but I think 1 or 3 would be the easiest for them to do.

[Retrocool]

Just have the Orange County government hand over authority to Disney, and rename Orange County "Disney County." Then all unincorporated municipalities in the county can be developed as Disney properties. You know how kids are always wishing they could live in Disneyland? Well, one day you could wake up and suddenly find that now you do!