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Anaheim City Council set to vote on Disneyland Forward for the final time

íTogether Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show at Disneyland on the first day of Pixar Fest in Anaheim on Thursday, Apr 12, 2018. (Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

The Anaheim City Council will vote on the Disneyland Forward proposal for the final time during a meeting on Tuesday.

It’s been three years since the measure was officially announced.


The proposal is a 40-year agreement that would guide where and how future developments would occur, allowing for new attractions, shops and restaurants to be built within areas of the resort that Disney already owns and operates.

Park attractions would be built alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive, along with buildings, shopping, dining and entertainment where the Toy Story Parking Area at Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard stands today.

The expansion plan received preliminary approval during the city council meeting on April 17, with council members voting 7-0 in favor of the measure following an 8-hour public hearing.

Should the proposal receive final approval on Tuesday, land use changes related to Disneyland Forward wouldn’t be implemented until 30 days later.

Disney has continued to express its commitment to spending at least $1.9 billion on the resort over the next decade, should the measure receive final approval.

The city specified in the proposed development agreement for Disneyland Forward that the minimum investment would go towards theme park attractions, entertainment, lodging, shopping and dining. Investments for parking, road improvements and bridges would be separate.

The expansion plans could also benefit the city outside of the theme park resort since Disney has set aside millions of dollars for improvements to infrastructure, such as sewers and roads around the resort area.

The company also announced it’s committed to spending $30 million for affordable housing, $8 million for city parks, and continuing workforce programs in Anaheim.

During the last city council meeting discussing Disneyland Forward, Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock described Disneyland Forward as the resort’s “legacy project.”

“We are ready to bring the next level of immersive entertainment to Anaheim,” Potrock said during the meeting. “We are committed to starting right away.”

As for the new experiences and attractions coming to the resort, no official plans have been announced, but fans have theories.

Disneyland fans hope that lands, rides and attractions based on “Tangled,” “Zootopia” and “Tron” and expanded areas based on “Peter Pan” and “Toy Story,” will be in the works.

Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro also talked about the possibility of bringing Frozen’s Arendelle, Black Panther’s Wakanda and Coco’s Santa Cecilia to life in some capacity at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and potentially its sister park in Orlando last year.

It’s likely official answer from the company won’t be unveiled until the D23 fan event, which takes place Aug. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center.