DisneylandForward

[el_super]

Short term thinking, and probably how Iger and Co think. Those malls may be a dime a dozen, however this particular mall sits on the only piece of land that would allow contiguous development between the properties Disney currently owns.

But why is that important... or more closely: why is that $100M+ important?

If Disney ends up building a downtown disney/hotel complex on that property, they can use busses to get people over there or to the parks and back. They could still look into some public transportation options with the city (like the streetcars) as well.

So why would they need it?

 

[DLR92]

Garden Walk is pointless for Disney.

Personally I felt even Disney buying Carousel Inn for 32 million was outrageous…the narrow strip of lot going to be a bridge.

 

[Chad Thundercaulk]

But why is that important... or more closely: why is that $100M+ important?

If Disney ends up building a downtown disney/hotel complex on that property, they can use busses to get people over there or to the parks and back. They could still look into some public transportation options with the city (like the streetcars) as well.

So why would they need it?

It's definitely $80M important. When you stay at the park there's a different price point for resorts that are walking distance vs resorts that you have to take a bus to get to the park from. I'd estimate that the price difference could be between $50-100 a night for the ability to walk along Disney property to the park vs having to take a bus through traffic(people like peace of mind). For a 1000 room hotel you'd make back $80 million in 3 years. I guarentee Disney will build more than 1000 rooms.

Also all of the real estate that has tens of thousands of people walking by it every day becomes instantly more valuable. Transform the GardenWalk into downtown Disney and put the transit center on the lot across the street and it increases the amount of visitors it will get vs the Downtown Disney location on the opposite side of the property.

Also taking a 10 minute walk is a much better experience than waiting 20 minutes for a cramped bus, experience matters.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

GardenWalk was a bad investment in 2001, in 2009, and would be still so today. Those outdoor malls are a dime a dozen now in southern california and there are plans to build even more (OC Vibe) right down the street. Had Disney bought it before, they would have been saddled with running a failing mall, negotiating the hotel development agreements, and paying off debt before doing what... spending more money to flatten the whole thing for some other use? I don't think it was every going to work out financially to buy that land.




It's not as valuable to them. Not now at least, I don't think.

They're not going to build a third park in Anaheim. With DisneylandForward they have already made their intentions clear: they want something new. A Downtown Disney with rides and entertainment. Something that can be a mixed-use development that they can grow into gradually, rather than committing billions of dollars for a theme park that will just need to be fixed as soon as it is built.

I highly suspect that their first play here will be slowing adding attractions attached to the current Downtown Disney area that are pay-per-ride fee based to test the waters. If it goes well, they will expand into the Downtown Disney East (Toy Story Lot) with more shops/dining/hotel/rides all mixed on one property. That plan doesn't require huge chunks of land be available at the onset, so they can acquire expansion space if and when they need it.

"Oh heck no" to rides that require payment! As if pricey tickets and passes weren’t bad enough. The layout plans show that the expansion areas are second (west side) entrances for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure respectively.

 

[CaptinEO]

"Oh heck no" to rides that require payment! As if pricey tickets and passes weren’t bad enough. The layout plans show that the expansion areas are second (west side) entrances for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure respectively.

I think theres so many bad rides being built that I'd rather just pay per ride at this point. The upfront cost doesn't make sense to people who don't like thrill rides or for young children.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Intriguing.

 

[BagOfGroceries]

I think that is clear cut confirmation this is happening

 

[Disney Analyst]

It seems Newsom is positioning himself as anti-DeSantis as possible, meaning he is repairing his relationship with Disney and Iger specifically.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think that is clear cut confirmation this is happening

How? The governor doesn’t control the city’s planning and zoning.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Speaking of the governors…

 

[SuddenStorm]

Intriguing.

"I'm sorry I forced Disneyland to stay closed far longer than Florida did! But I have a presidential run and need this PR"

 

[Disney Analyst]

How? The governor doesn’t control the city’s planning and zoning.

I am sure the Governor could add some decent weight behind it however, and or incentivize the city, in the best interests of the State.

 

[PiratesMansion]

"I'm sorry I forced Disneyland to stay closed far longer than Florida did! But I have a presidential run and need this PR"

I mean, at least if he's prepping for a presidential run, he's doing it better than the other guy in the other state who's a LOT closer to a presidential run.

Appearing to work with, rather than against, a big company people associate with your state seems like a good plan, no?

 

[SuddenStorm]

I mean, at least if he's prepping for a presidential run, he's doing it better than the other guy in the other state who's a LOT closer to a presidential run.

Appearing to work with, rather than against, a big company people associate with your state seems like a good plan, no?

I honestly think both Disney and the governor could be handling the situation out East way better, but in the last few months Disney has been knocking it out of the park.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I honestly think both Disney and the governor could be handling the situation out East way better, but in the last few months Disney has been knocking it out of the park.

But point being, if I was looking at two presidential candidates, and one appeared to be working with businesses associated with their state and the other appeared to be working against businesses associated with their state, I would choose the one that looks like a team player.

Of course, it's optics and PR and nothing is ever 100% what it looks like on the surface. But optics aren't completely worthless either. And one presidential candidate seem consistently to be working against a huge state employer and tourist draw, in a way that is extremely public? Seems suboptimal to me.

 

[SuddenStorm]

But point being, if I was looking at two presidential candidates, and one appeared to be working with businesses associated with their state and the other appeared to be working against businesses associated with their state, I would choose the one that looks like a team player.

This does rely on voters having a short memory, as there's a very strong argument that could be made that the gov in the state out east was far more business friendly during 2020/2021 than the gov out west.

Of course, it's optics and PR and nothing is ever 100% what it looks like on the surface. But optics aren't completely worthless either. And one presidential candidate seem consistently to be working against a huge state employer and tourist draw, in a way that is extremely public? Seems suboptimal to me.

I would completely agree with this, and I think the Reedy Creek/Disney debacle is going to be a huge talking point going into 2024.

 

[Nirya]

"I'm sorry I forced Disneyland to stay closed far longer than Florida did! But I have a presidential run and need this PR"

He wouldn't be running for four more years at this point, this is as much about being an anti-DeSantis as anything else.

 

[TP2000]

The drive to raise the minimum wage in Anaheim to $25 an hour ($I5 an hour is so 20I8, but honest, this is the last one you guys, we swear) is heading to a special election in Anaheim now.

Will this impact Disneyland Forward in any way? Will TDA admit that it does play an impact, or will it pretend otherwise to keep the goodwill flowing?

Anaheim $25 minimum wage proposal heads to special election

Anaheim voters will decide on Sept. 12 if the minimum wage for hotel and event center workers should be raised; the extra election will cost the city about $1.5 million officials estimated.

www.ocregister.com

Anaheim voters will decide later this year if the minimum wage for hotel and event center workers in town should be raised to $25 an hour.

The City Council could have outright adopted the minimum wage initiative pushed by the union representing the workers, but in a 5-2 vote late Tuesday night decided to give the choice to voters in a special election to be held on Sept. 12.

It’s now on Anaheim voters to determine if the city should have a higher minimum wage than the rest of the state’s $15.50 for service workers as well as implement various new workload regulations. The minimum wage proposal would apply to workers at hotels and event centers larger than 20,000 square feet.

Mayor Ashleigh Aitken and Councilmember Carlos Leon opposed moving the initiative to a special election, instead wanting to have voters decide during the 2024 general election, when they will already be going to the polls to decide a slew of local, state and federal races, including president.

Unite Here Local 11, the labor union representing service workers that developed the initiative, and hoteliers turned out in large numbers to Tuesday’s meeting – more than 50 people addressed the council. Union representatives argued that waiting until the November 2024 general election would allow for the largest voter turnout. Hoteliers wanted the issue decided as soon as possible, and they cheered triumphantly after the City Council voted.

“This deserves to be on its own election,” said Marshall Weinstein, general manager at the Grand Legacy at the Park hotel. “This is important enough of an issue.”

City officials estimated the special election will cost about $1.5 million. Adding the initiative to the general election would have cost the city around $200,000.

Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, said special elections disenfranchise voters with lower turnout and the use of one in this case could be viewed as “yet another tax giveaway” to Anaheim’s business interests.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I am sure the Governor could add some decent weight behind it however, and or incentivize the city, in the best interests of the State.

Maybe the governor and state legislature could somehow carve out DL property into it's own extraordinary area so that Disney can run it without interference from local jurisdictions. And to show that this is all democratic, the elected governor can name people to be on the governing committee of the extraordinary area.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Will this impact Disneyland Forward in any way? Will TDA admit that it does play an impact, or will it pretend otherwise to keep the goodwill flowing?

Pretty sure it would be absolutely dead in the water if this happened. It wasn't that long ago they fought Measure L in the courts and cancelled their planned 5 star hotel because the tax breaks would have forced them to raise wages to $15.