New Disneyland Parking Garage and Transportation Hub

[Darkbeer1]

Now I am worried I will be wasting my time on Monday, here is the official Planning Commission Agenda for Monday, where is Item #1 ???

http://local.anaheim.net/docs_agend/ag_3vers/planning.pdf

 

[Phroobar]

That photo is great!

But they forgot to add in the really smelly homeless guys begging for change with cardboard signs, the old guy charging five bucks to take a picture of you holding his parrot, the semi-talented saxophonist playing jazzy Disney numbers, the crazed bag lady I once passed in front of IHOP cussing out the shrubbery, a couple guys holding Jesus Saves signs, and the silently-glaring lady standing next to the 15 foot long banner decrying Communist-sanctioned human organ harvesting in China.

But then, those folks won't be allowed to set up camp up on Disney's new skybridge. Which is probably the point.

Bring on the Eastern Gateway!

I think I've seen everyone of those people you describe. You forgot about the union workers that are always mad at Disney.

 

[NobodyElse]

Now I am worried I will be wasting my time on Monday, here is the official Planning Commission Agenda for Monday, where is Item #1 ???

http://local.anaheim.net/docs_agend/ag_3vers/planning.pdf

Yes, that implies it's not a "Public Hearing Item". Hmmm....

 

[NobodyElse]

But then, those folks won't be allowed to set up camp up on Disney's new skybridge. Which is probably the point.

As I was reading your post, my mind was jumping ahead composing the response that you basically already added. Indeed, all the folks using the new gateway will likely never see the "public entertainment" you mention.

 

[SSG]

a couple guys holding Jesus Saves signs,

I'd like to stand next to them with a sign saying "But The Walt Disney Company Withdraws"

 

[Darkbeer1]

As I was reading your post, my mind was jumping ahead composing the response that you basically already added. Indeed, all the folks using the new gateway will likely never see the "public entertainment" you mention.

OK, the new Main Pedestrian Entrance will start next to Pummba on Disney Way by the Grand Legacy. That area will be owned by Disney and therefore Disney Security can make sure the "public" won't be along the pathway to the bridge, since it will be a "private walkway".

So the "public entertainment" will move to near the area, but hopefully the area will be more open and easier to avoid those "entertainers" when entering and leaving the parks.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, I found a way to show the news article...

http://ocregister.ca.newsmemory.com/?editionStart=Anaheim+Bulletin

Looks like I will be going Monday,as the official review on the Agenda is January 23rd, and Monday is a "workshop".

>>Disney will present its plans to the Planning Commission in a workshop at 5 p.m. Monday in City Hall. Company officials are slated to meet with the commission again on Jan. 23 to seek approval.

Disney will ask for several conditional-use permits from the city, including for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, a security screening on the east side of Harbor, new signage around the area and a transportation hub on Manchester Avenue.<<

>>A group representing several restaurants and hoteliers along Harbor Boulevard have expressed concerns over the project. Disney was to hold another workshop with the businesses on Wednesday to outline the latest plans, hoping to alleviate some of the concerns.

“As the plans for the Eastern Gateway begin to take shape, we will continue to meet with neighboring business owners regarding the project and to seek their input and find design solutions that address their overall feedback,” Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said.

Robert Red Harbin, spokesman for the Harbor Boulevard Merchants Coalition, said they’ve been upset with what they feel has been a lack of transparency by the city and Disney.

Harbin said there are fears that no direct pedestrian access to the bridge along Harbor Boulevard would “choke off businesses on the entire block.”

Disneyland officials said they’ve communicated with nearby business owners for several months and have hosted several workshops.<<

So we won't get to see the full staff report (like the one I posted about the Cambria Hotel project) until late January.

 

[NobodyElse]

OK, I found a way to show the news article...

http://ocregister.ca.newsmemory.com/?editionStart=Anaheim+Bulletin

Great minds, etc, etc... (See post #620).

 

[TP2000]

I'd like to stand next to them with a sign saying "But The Walt Disney Company Withdraws"

Yes! I'll pay for your picture with the parrot if you do it.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Good article in today OC Register that talks about the non-Disney business on Harbor, and some of the worries they have about the project.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disney-738016-harbor-businesses.html

>>The Planning Commission is scheduled to make a decision Jan. 23. Disney needs a permit for the construction of the pedestrian bridge, the new security-screening area, signage and a transportation hub. It also needs approval for the parking structure. The City Council is expected to have the final decision on at least the pedestrian bridge at some point.<<

>>Scott Frisbie, whose family owns the nearby McDonald’s, is concerned that to connect to the new Disneyland gateway, the restaurant would have to give up space for a special walkway.

“It’s an impractical idea,” said Frisbie, 57. “They are asking us to create a walkway for people to walk across our property to their (gateway) entrance.

“But we have a liability and responsibility once we have the public on our property,” he said. “Not only that, but that would require us to remove some of our parking stalls, and parking is already scarce in this area.”<<

 

[NobodyElse]

>>Scott Frisbie, whose family owns the nearby McDonald’s, is concerned that to connect to the new Disneyland gateway, the restaurant would have to give up space for a special walkway.

“It’s an impractical idea,” said Frisbie, 57. “They are asking us to create a walkway for people to walk across our property to their (gateway) entrance.

“But we have a liability and responsibility once we have the public on our property,” he said. “Not only that, but that would require us to remove some of our parking stalls, and parking is already scarce in this area.”<<

Well, this should be like finding a piece of the jigsaw puzzle under the table, but it just seems to raise more questions and observations.

• This is the first I've heard of Disney wanting to grant access to the "gateway" other than walking from Disney Way, Parking in the new Pumba structure, the new transportation hub, and presumably walking in from Manchester (adjacent to that transportation hub).
• Correct me if I'm wrong, but right now the McDonald's property is not contiguous to the gateway property. A walkway would have to include egress through one or more of the following properties: Camelot Inn & Suites, Fairfield Inn, and West Coast University.
• This leads me to believe Disney is at least in some "what if" talks with other businesses - McDonald's was just the first to comment on record.
• If forced to guess, I'd say McDonald's is far less concerned with public safety then they are with losing parking spaces. (Let's face it, currently they seem to be okay with pedestrians crossing their drive-thru lane and walking out to their most distant parking space.)
• I'll admit, I don't know much about actual required number of parking spaces for any of the properties adjacent to the gateway project, but I would think that (given the project gets approval) those properties would be bending over backward to get direct access.

Just a few thoughts...

 

[NobodyElse]

This article popped up elsewhere:
http://www.pe.com/articles/disney-820601-harbor-businesses.html

***
For several months, a Disney spokeswoman said, company officials have been working with neighboring business owners.

“We have held a series of productive meetings with neighboring business owners to listen to concerns and gather input,” Disney’s Suzi Brown said. “We have responded to their feedback and have been encouraged by the positive responses from many of the group to work together to find creative solutions.”

***

 

[DDLand]

I have little sympathy for these hotels and fast food offerings. Strangle them. No doubt the Anaheim City Council will force concessions, but I think controlling the guest experience as much as possible should be Disney's business prerogative. Many of those hotels and restaurants have helped the Resort District look like a dump; time for some karma.

Also a new offramp off of i5 was something that I hadn't heard about. That sounds like a great improvement. This project's end results should be awesome, and I had forgot how nice the Security area is going to be... I wonder if the rest of the Esplanade will be updated to match the new look.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Page 4 of the front section of today's OCR has a graphic show the proposed second entrance ("3"). click on the graphic to enlarge it.

http://ocregister.ca.newsmemory.com/

Based on that graphic, and the McDonald's owner's comment, it looks like either the Courtyard or Camelot would also have to donate some property to reach the north west corner of the Disneyland Eastern Gateway property. Here is a marked map.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6994892

 

[180º]

Interesting that these recent graphics don't indicate if and how the monorail beamway will change.

 

[Darkbeer1]

If you watch the video that is part of the OCR article I linked to, Disney has offered for every Hotel on Harbor north of Disney Way to build a pathway connection between the back of their Hotel/Motel to connect directly with the main walkway from Disney Way to the new security checkpoint, which should be a nicer option, as it would all be on private property, and there would be no homeless issue on the public sidewalk. Looks like the Hotel owner will have to pay for and build the connector that would meet some basic Disney requirements to their sidewalk. And I think that is the best solution. I presume they could add a gate that requires a room key to use it.

But the restaurants won't like it, as they totally would be bypassed. Those south of Disney Way will be directed away from Harbor at the Grand Legacy to the new entrance. (There is new entry point sign shown in the video). So that block of Harbor will not have much public sidewalk use. (The Bus Stops are expected to be moved off Harbor and use a short detour to Manchester/Clementine and a stop next to the new Transportation Hub.

We also have a lot more new Lodging Choices opening near the Pummba Parking Structure, the Quality Inn is planning a new 6 story Tower, to be similar to the new Courtyard and Holiday Inn Express. Two new properties are being worked on at the corner of Disney Way and Clementine, a Country Inn Tower, and a new one where the Bergstrom Furniture Store used to be. The JW Marriott at the south west corner next to GardenWalk and the conversion of the Anaheim Plaza to a 4 star Hotel.

All these properties will use the new Pummba Pedestrian Entrance, or a northern entrance next to the Quality Inn for those on Manchester (HoJo's, Courtyyard, HIE and QI replacement).

 

[180º]

After watching that video, I take back what I said about the monorail. It looks like the recent plans still show the rerouted beam. Here are some notable screen grabs from the video, some which show images we didn't see before.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Assuming the bridge is the only access to the Resort, this looks like it's going to end up being a boon for Garden Walk since the Eastern Gateway's portal will be directly across the street from the shopping center's northern entrance on Disney Way. I'm betting that McDonald's, and many of the other chains thriving on Harbor with enough financing to do so will either relocate or open new outlets there. I would certainly consider it if I were one of those businesses.

On another note, if the crosswalk and Harbor entrance will remain (as it appears in the most recent Eastern Gateway schematics) why is business access to the new entrance an issue?

 

[Darkbeer1]

The hotels have known what the city is planning to do in regrds of removing the crosswalk and traffic light, and why they want access from the back of the property into Disney's new walkway.

 

[Darkbeer1]

FYI, Saturday,the KCML was used for guest parking (The CM's that normally park there had to park at Angel Stadium and take the shuttle from there.) ART Route 20 called the area "Katella Lot" and had a stop there, along with two stops in the main Toy Story "circle". And it was needed, the park was packed, Disney was using the backstage paths along Main Street, and the Fireworks Main viewing areas filled up 1 hour before the Fireworks started.They were making announcement to head to Rivers of America to watch the Fireworks....

It is going to be a very interesting Summer in 2017, if Pummba is closed for construction. Disney just lost a few hundred spaces in building the new M&F Security Check and expanded Tram Route. There will be the need for parking for the construction workers for the Eastern Gateway project.

I think that it is time for Disney to start working on ANOTHER Parking Structure, maybe the north side of Mickey & Friends. Maybe the Simba Lot,and do it in two stages, and at the same time, tear down the old PPH Structure,that is poorly designed, and have the new structure service the PPH.

Or Toy Story, maybe start at the south end of the lot and build a structure there.

And of course, the new Ball Road CM Lot is perfect for a structure.