Why January 23rd Could Be a BIG Day for Disneyland Resort

Some BIG things are happening in Disneyland.

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland

We’re not just talking about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is currently under construction. We’re not referring to the update Disneyland has planned for its park entrances. We’re not even talking about the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival. You might recall us mentioning the DisneylandForward proposal last year, which is an initiative to work with the City of Anaheim to expand the theme parks. Well, an important meeting is coming up on that very topic!

DisneylandForward is a collaborative effort between Disney and Anaheim to expand Disneyland Resort. Plans include updating existing theme park blueprints as well as boosting the local economy through new projects. The plans remain within Disney’s existing property (since it is in the middle of a city), but the idea is to change the zoning laws for certain areas of the park to build new lands, attractions, and more.

DisneylandForward concept art ©Disney

Some of the ideas that have been suggested for the project include things like World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as the new Zootopia land that just opened at Shanghai Disney Resort. DisneylandForward recently submitted an environmental impact study for four planning districts within the existing space of Disneyland in Anaheim.

World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland

In Disney’s environmental impact study, the company revealed that the project goal for DisneylandForward is to “enhance the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan area by providing a wider range of attractions, hotel accommodations, restaurants, shopping opportunities, and public parking.” Here’s a look at a proposed idea to expand Disneyland Resort.

DisneylandForward Expansion Map 1©Disney

Well, a HUGE meeting about DisneylandForward is coming up soon. A City Council Workshop to discuss DisneylandForward is happening on January 23rd at 3PM PST at Anaheim City Hall. Now, we don’t know what will be discussed at the meeting, but we should get a good update on how Disneyland and Anaheim plan to move forward with the theme park expansion.

©City of Anaheim

If the project gets approved, new additions could be constructed in the areas of the resort that Disney deemed “underdeveloped.” This may include the space surrounding some of the Disneyland Resort hotels west of the parks and a parking lot on the east side. We can’t wait to learn more!

If you can’t make it to the meeting on January 23rd, though, you can live stream it online at Anaheim.net/TV. We’ll certainly keep our eyes out to see what kind of plans Disneyland has been working on. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get some ideas of what kind of lands and attractions might be coming to the parks in the future.

We’ll be on the lookout for more Disneyland news, especially concerning its expansion, so stay tuned to DFB for more.