DHS Parking lot remodel and expansion

[marni1971]

Sadly the garages would have solved a multitude of problems. And have been a perfect time to build into the new infrastructure. Guess they couldn't stomach the budget.

Assuming the plans still go forward to remodel the front of the lots (bus station, trams, disabled, plaza area) the net gain from the proposed flat expansion won't be as big as previously planned.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Sadly the garages would have solved a multitude of problems. And have been a perfect time to build into the new infrastructure. Guess they couldn't stomach the budget.

Assuming the plans still go forward to remodel the front of the lots (bus station, trams, disabled, plaza area) the net gain from the proposed flat expansion won't be as big as previously planned.

These plans get less ambitious by the month. Less a rebirth for the park and more a face-lift meant to distract from a continuation of underlying issues for the park. At least we will get a few new compelling rides out of it. A wasted opportunity given how much the BoD was apparently willing to invest. Could it be that some of these monies are being shuttled over to Epcot?

 

[marni1971]

These plans get less ambitious by the month. Less a rebirth for the park and more a face-lift meant to distract from a continuation of underlying issues for the park. At least we will get a few new compelling rides out of it. A wasted opportunity given how much the BoD was apparently willing to invest. Could it be that some of these monies are being shuttled over to Epcot?

There's still a fair chunk of money being earmarked for each park, more than I originally expected a few years back. Again though the net result seems less than how much each budget is.

 

[Kman101]

These plans get less ambitious by the month. Less a rebirth for the park and more a face-lift meant to distract from a continuation of underlying issues for the park. At least we will get a few new compelling rides out of it. A wasted opportunity given how much the BoD was apparently willing to invest. Could it be that some of these monies are being shuttled over to Epcot?

Sad.

Serious question though, how did the squander it (more or less I'm asking where the money went)? I mean they've cut detail from TSL. They've cut the garages ... Seems like they could have gotten a lot more bang for their buck and it seemed like a lot more could have been on the table but all of a sudden moving Star Wars up changed plans. Wasn't Star Wars separate from the money for the park makeover? Or am I imagining that?

 

[flyerjab]

Weird when I think back to some of @marni1971's original posts when he first heard of the money being spent for this park. I remember his comment about picking his jaw up off of the floor. It was supposed to be around 3 billion for DHS, with another 250 million each for MK and Epcot. Is this a result of WDI costing way too much, or has not everything been spent? I know conspiracy theorists will claim that WDW management is pocketing money to increase their bonuses. I would be surprised if that were true, especially considering that the board approved of the budgets. Maybe things have changed since then.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Weird when I think back to some of @marni1971's original posts when he first heard of the money being spent for this park. I remember his comment about picking his jaw up off of the floor. It was supposed to be around 3 billion for DHS, with another 250 million each for MK and Epcot. Is this a result of WDI costing way too much, or has not everything been spent? I know conspiracy theorists will claim that WDW management is pocketing money to increase their bonuses. I would be surprised if that were true, especially considering that the board approved of the budgets. Maybe things have changed since then.

I cannot imagine what is planned, especially without garages, will cost $2.8 bn.

 

[mm121]

Last I heard garages were cut, originally destined for the Music and Film lots. It was mainly for when SWL was going to take out a chunk of Television for Alcatraz.

Also, regarding the fence. A new tram lane was considered (Dont know if approved) for the expansion, so I wouldnt be surprised if that is what that is.

does anyone have a map of dhs parking with the names? not sure where music, film, television are

alcatraz? is that something swl related? never heard of this plan before

theres been lots of talk of garages but i never really thought it was a serious plan just speculation from armchair imagineers

 

[doctornick]

Sad.

Serious question though, how did the squander it (more or less I'm asking where the money went)? I mean they've cut detail from TSL. They've cut the garages ... Seems like they could have gotten a lot more bang for their buck and it seemed like a lot more could have been on the table but all of a sudden moving Star Wars up changed plans. Wasn't Star Wars separate from the money for the park makeover? Or am I imagining that?

I'm fairly certain that the Star Wars budget was included in the rumored $2.8B.

As to where the money went.... I seem to recall that some money got shunted from DHS' budget to go to DAK for the Pandora cost overruns. That could easily have been a few hundred million. Star Wars itself sounds like it is costing more than anticipated too which may have sucked up a greater portion of the DHS budget. Presumably the Mickey ride and whatever replacements for the existing shows happen would all come out of the budget too (plus rumors of the BatB theater being enclosed, etc.)

But I do agree that it seems like there should be able to be more build with the money allotted, unless it was slashed. Especially if the parking decks are no longer on the table.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I'm fairly certain that the Star Wars budget was included in the rumored $2.8B.

As to where the money went.... I seem to recall that some money got shunted from DHS' budget to go to DAK for the Pandora cost overruns. That could easily have been a few hundred million. Star Wars itself sounds like it is costing more than anticipated too which may have sucked up a greater portion of the DHS budget. Presumably the Mickey ride and whatever replacements for the existing shows happen would all come out of the budget too (plus rumors of the BatB theater being enclosed, etc.)

But I do agree that it seems like there should be able to be more build with the money allotted, unless it was slashed. Especially if the parking decks are no longer on the table.

If we imagine ahead: TSL ends up around $300,000,000. Star Wars Land perhaps $1,300,000,000. There is no way the Mickey ride should cost more than $300,000,000 itself (it should cost much less, but we are being generous). That's $1.9 bn. The remaining $900,000,000 surely pays for much more than show updates and relatively modest parking lot updates. Your guess is as good as mine as to where that money went or is going.

I still am struggling to understand how TSL, as it will be built, is costing anything more than $100,000,000.

 

[Goofyernmost]

If we imagine ahead: TSL ends up around $300,000,000. Star Wars Land perhaps $1,300,000,000. There is no way the Mickey ride should cost more than $300,000,000 itself (it should cost much less, but we are being generous). That's $1.9 bn. The remaining $900,000,000 surely pays for much more than show updates and relatively modest parking lot updates. Your guess is as good as mine as to where that money went or is going.

I still am struggling to understand how TSL, as it will be built, is costing anything more than $100,000,000.

It really depends on how they split the expense. That was no small task to just clear the area for building. If you add that in, based on what they have to pay for construction, that might take up a part of it. Just throwing that out there, because once again Disney forgot to send me the memo on the expense breakdown.

 

[marni1971]

I cannot imagine what is planned, especially without garages, will cost $2.8 bn.

Include SWL, TSL, GMMR and everything else in that...

 

[marni1971]

Just throwing that out there, because once again Disney forgot to send me the memo on the expense breakdown.

We've already been laughing at the cost, including land clearance.

 

[Goofyernmost]

We've already been laughing at the cost, including land clearance.

I know that Marni, and if anyone has the "right" figures then it would be you, but, I doubt that even you have seen the hard copy breakdown of expenses and how they spread them out or account for them. So all of us here are speculating one way or the other. They've got to account for it someplace, where none of us know. However, if they put things our for a bid and that is the lowest that is returned. They have three options. They can reject it outright or they can reject it and go in for a new bid or they can abandon the entire project. I think that since there are a limited number of construction outfits with experience in specialized building that the second option wouldn't be used often. That leaves them with either pay the price asked or abandon the project. I see a little of both possible. There is a huge difference in cost between preparing a virgin piece of property and doing one with massive infrastructure already in place.

 

[marni1971]

There is a huge difference in cost between preparing a virgin piece of property and doing one with massive infrastructure already in place.

If there had been massive infrastructure in place beforehand you'd have a point.

 

[Marty Rotondo]

Kind of disappointing that they arent doing the garages. Would add a little extra fanfare to entering the park, like at universal with the sidewalk escalator devices.
At least its not as bad as Aninal Kingdom. If i hadnt seen the back side of everest from the bus, id say they were just dropping me off in the woods and charging me 90 dollars.

 

[Goofyernmost]

If there had been massive infrastructure in place beforehand you'd have a point.

Yes, I'm sorry I was talking in general terms, however the report that the new parking area is built on a swamp is kind of the same thing except fighting nature. I guess it's possible that this thread has taken so many turns that I am responding to something different then what is currently happening. If it's building a parking garage, reclaiming an wet area for parking purposes or building two new lands on previously existing land that did indeed contain massive amounts of infrastructure. So I could be talking about something other then what you are. It is all one big expense. There are many reasons why they don't seem to be thinking very far ahead anymore, because of the cost of just coming up with the minimum need is so high.

 

[marni1971]

Yes, I'm sorry I was talking in general terms, however the report that the new parking area is built on a swamp is kind of the same thing except fighting nature. I guess it's possible that this thread has taken so many turns that I am responding to something different then what is currently happening. If it's building a parking garage, reclaiming an wet area for parking purposes or building two new lands on previously existing land that did indeed contain massive amounts of infrastructure. So I could be talking about something other then what you are. It is all one big expense. There are many reasons why they don't seem to be thinking very far ahead anymore, because of the cost of just coming up with the minimum need is so high.

Sorry. Thought we were talking about the total cost of TSL.

The garages and infrastructure had a large budget too, not as much as TSL and more understandable given the engineering proposed.

 

[danlb_2000]

does anyone have a map of dhs parking with the names? not sure where music, film, television are

alcatraz? is that something swl related? never heard of this plan before

theres been lots of talk of garages but i never really thought it was a serious plan just speculation from armchair imagineers

Alcatraz is the code name for the Star Wars Land battle ride.

 

[Slowjack]

As I said before, I think the parking decks died when Star Wars Land got moved to the back. Once they decided to go with a plan for these expansions that didn't require pushing into the current lots, they were never going to pay the coin to build the decks. And sadly I don't see the deck plan coming back any time soon. The only reason to do so now would be for some future expansion that was presumably even a bigger deal than Star Wars Land. Hard to imagine anything like that happening in the next ten years, at least.

 

[dgp602]

They started on this a couple months ago.

Here is what part of that area looked like in February 2016, and below that December 2016.

View attachment 183573


View attachment 183570

I see Walts plane there in February, but its gone in December. If they did move it somewhere on the property, wouldn't we have a picture of it being moved OR at its new location ( even it was backstage somewhere)? Could it have simply been destroyed?