New Disneyland Parking Garage and Transportation Hub

[mm121]

Yup, and further catering to high paying customers staying on property and the new high end hotels over near Gardenwalk. They're a business and will cater accordingly.

As far as I'm concerened, in the end, Disney knows it'll own the Harbor hotels... way down the line, they will. In my opinion they'll turn the whole space into the first east side Disney hotel (we're talking several years/decades down the line). Disney is and has always been in it for the long game... this is just another step of Mickey slowly but surely tightening the noose.

a plan i made that would create a dtd east district

this could be done as a value/moderate hotel which would be a good compliment to the hotels on the west side rather than competition and a good replacement to what is there now

 

[mm121]

View attachment 159746

Land that Disney officially claims to own is in blue, Anaheim Garden Walk is in red. It is incredibly difficult to imagine Disney not wanting to own AGW as part of any future expansion plans (3rd park to the south east?) Either Disney has some secret deal with the "group" that bought AGW or they are killing themselves for not bidding on it in 2012 when they had a chance.

most likely kicking themselves as their leadership isnt known for looking at the long term

 

[mm121]

Well, the "Bergstrom" property had a planning commission filing for its property at 200 W Alro Way. (The property just north of Disney Way at I-5. A proposed 5 story, 174 room Hotel with underground parking is the project.(DEV2016-00055).

It takes the property on both sides of W Alro (The current entrance road that CM's use to enter Pumbaa) .

So it looks like someone has decided that the property has value. (There is another Hotel already being built next door.)

https://www.countryinns.com/anaheim-hotel-ca-92802/usaahca

its too bad disney couldnt get the city to take it by eminent domain to add a ramp to i-5 south
and only pay them a low market value after years of being stupid owners

 

[mm121]

Those have been there for years. When they appeared back in 2013 I peered into the spaces, and they are completely barren down to the steel girders and cement floor. Nothing is there.

It was a lame attempt by the mall developer to try and make that abandoned corner look like "New Things Are Coming!". It was a big lie. And it's a lie that's several years old now.

I wonder how many more years they will keep those graphics up on all the unused storefronts? Maybe until the new House of Blues opens, so it doesn't look so pathetic to arriving HoB customers? The House of Blues is horribly behind schedule, but at least they aren't completely lying because they are genuinely trying to open... in 2017 sometime.

is this new one bigger than the old one?

could size have contributed to them wanting to move?

 

[NobodyElse]

is this new one bigger than the old one?

could size have contributed to them wanting to move?

Yes - larger venue, less restrictions on acts, perhaps better parking, and likely a better deal on rent.

*****
The new digs will cover 44,000 square feet and include a 2,200-capacity main music hall for bigger touring acts and events, a 400-capacity room called The Parish for smaller performances, singer-songwriter evenings, release parties and corporate meetings, a 175-capacity Foundation Room/VIP club and a much larger restaurant, kitchen and bar than it had at Downtown Disney.

Because of space limitations, the old House of Blues Anaheim just couldn’t accommodate a Foundation Room, which is standard at all other House of Blues locations. The new addition will feature a full bar, nightly entertainment of its own and a viewing platform of the stage in the main concert hall.

“No venue has ever combined all of this under one roof,” Ron Bension, president of House of Blues Entertainment, said in a press release. “Some nights will have four bands playing in four separate performance spaces at the same time. It will truly be a 4-D live music entertainment experience.”
*****

 

[mm121]

Why can't Disney just add a street level elevator to bridge and have a security checkpoint at the top of the elevator? They just need to make the bridge wide enough to accommodate this.

such a scenario isnt really feasible at all

as then you'd have people backing up at the bottom of the elevator which then becomes a security hazard of its own

there's just too many people on harbor to allow for not "forcing" people to go to the new gateway that has the space to accommodate the crowds in a timely manor

it would be terrible if bad people driving by did something bad to guests waiting in line for an elevator on the side of the street

 

[mm121]

It's probably too obvious, but I think I've come up with a reasonable and elegant solution: By its very nature, the bridge and walkway will be elevated above ground level. Why not use that ground level space right at Harbor Blvd for an additional security checkpoint, with some vertical circulation (likely 2 escalators, 3 elevators, and stairs) up to the walkway above? It would keep everything on Disney's property and would still allow easy access from the existing facilities along Harbor Blvd.

Assuming the walkway will slope at a more-or-less constant rate to provide 14' vertical clearance over the road (16' clearance in the center lanes for trucks), the first 260' back from Harbor will at have least 8' clear (typical ceiling height) giving them over 22,000 SF of usable space down there (nearly the size of the Soarin' building for reference, or about 2/3 the size of the proposed Eastern Gateway security checkpoint)

Yes, it would have some staffing and maintenance needs, but if Disney is so desperate for the additional theme park space (which would also need to be staffed an maintained), I think it's reasonable to expect they could operate another checkpoint here. If not, they should be forced to keep a new ground-level checkpoint on the existing Harbor transit plaza, which would also require more staffing. Disney has gotten some great deals from the City recently; it's time that the City pushes back and gets something reasonable from Disney

I imagine Disney has plans for this space (World of Disney east?) that they haven't announced yet. It's crazy to think that Disney spent over $20M on the parcel to only use it as a walkway. So why not get a little more creative with the solution?

Putting security UNDER the walkway is a big big no no.

imagine what would happen if someone using this security station had a bomb, the damage wouldnt be restricted to the space below and could cause the walkway above to collapse killing hundreds or even thousands of people

i know we dont want to think that way but unfortunately those are the times we live in.

they actually paid 32 million for the hotel they bought, while yes its an expensive walkway, they really have no other choice, maybe someday they will get their hands on the land to the north and south of the walkway for shops or something, but right now they are just using what they have and the strip is only 65 feet wide so thats not wide enough to have a path and a shop considering the volume of people that will be using it

 

[mm121]

One interesting thing, the Park Vue Inn can't remodel their property due to a problem with getting financing that was brought up at Tuesday's City Council Meeting. Since their was a transit study for a Trolley/light rail system that wanted to use their property to use as a station, they can't get financing since the land is marked for possible government eminent domain. So until the plan is killed, they are in limbo. And of course, the council tabled the measure, sending it back for re-wording.....

But now is the time to do it, let them work at the same time as the Disneyland Eastern Gateway is being built, and reopen with a new design and access to the new pedestrian entrance on the east side of their property.....

or maybe the dark side of disney could keep it tied up in red tape making it worthless then find a way to buy it before it gets redone, since once it gets redone there will no chance to buy it for at least like 30 years

 

[RMichael21]

Usually their commentary is pretty horrendous, but this video is actually very informative.

 

[TP2000]

Usually their commentary is pretty horrendous, but this video is actually very informative.

You're right, that video from them is fairly informative and watchable. None of those animations they showed are new, we were talking about them on the Anaheim website months ago, but they are very helpful.

One thing he did catch was the new route of the Monorail in that last animation he shows. That confirms the Miceage rumor from last year then.

This Eastern Gateway project seems to have stalled. Dangerously so as the opening of Star Wars Land grows closer by the day.

And Disney is clearly not being forthright on all of their plans for this area; for instance why they need to reroute the Monorail's 1961 route (that didn't move an inch to build DCA in 1998-2000), what they plan to do with all that newly empty space in the East Esplanade, etc. The local businesses are furious, but I'm not sure there's a solution here that they will like.

About the only complaint the local businesses have that I think has merit is their critique that the bridge as designed is kind of ugly. It is kind of ugly, and obviously done rather cheaply. But their website slams it with criticism about "architectural integrity" and "aesthetic standards" and then preaches about good urban design.

And I read that and just think... "Hey, guys, I hate to tell you but your 50 year old cinder block IHOP and two-star motels wedged tightly together with cheesy mish-mash architecture isn't exactly the Palace at Versailles"

 

[truecoat]

@Darkbeer1 any updates? Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope things are going well for you.

 

[TP2000]

@Darkbeer1 any updates? Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope things are going well for you.

Yes, I was just thinking about @Darkbeer1 the other day too. I know he mentioned taking some time for some medical recuperation, and I hope he is doing well.

In the meantime, I just checked Google News and the Anaheim.net website and there hasn't been any change in this Eastern Gateway story. The project appears to be at an impasse, and Anaheim is in no hurry to give it its blessing so Disney can begin construction. Which must be very worrying for TDA types as Star Wars Land gets closer by the day and their parking/transportation plan gets further away by the day.

 

[Curious Constance]

Yes, I was just thinking about @Darkbeer1 the other day too. I know he mentioned taking some time for some medical recuperation, and I hope he is doing well.

In the meantime, I just checked Google News and the Anaheim.net website and there hasn't been any change in this Eastern Gateway story. The project appears to be at an impasse, and Anaheim is in no hurry to give it its blessing so Disney can begin construction. Which must be very worrying for TDA types as Star Wars Land gets closer by the day and their parking/transportation plan gets further away by the day.

Looks like they'll have to let cars park in the actual hotel, as Fresh Baked Disney suggested.

 

[jbradway]

I don't see how it's any benefit for the city to delay the project. All they will get for their troubles is more traffic problems as they try to deal with the influx of guests coming in a few years.

 

[BubbaQuest]

Should I feel bad for laughing that this may not be done in time?

I could see a parking garage being built in a year, but an overpass across a public road? If's that's not breaking ground now....

More concerning to me is I still haven't heard anything more about the land they purchased north of I-5. I thought that was supposed to be a new employee parking lot to replace the current parking in Pumba. If they close Pumba to start construction without any additional parking, will they already be over capacity?

 

[Curious Constance]

Question:

When you're walking to the parks from Harbor, where do you go through security screening at? The green tents are gone from the Esplanade, and I'm trying to picture how it differs now.
Also, do they have everyone going through security, or are they still spot checking?

 

[Macro]

Question:

When you're walking to the parks from Harbor, where do you go through security screening at? The green tents are gone from the Esplanade, and I'm trying to picture how it differs now.
Also, do they have everyone going through security, or are they still spot checking?

The security stations on the East side are still in the same place. The metal detectors are kind of hit and miss. Last couple of times I've been there they direct some folks to the metal detectors and let other folks bypass them.

 

[Curious Constance]

The security stations on the East side are still in the same place. The metal detectors are kind of hit and miss. Last couple of times I've been there they direct some folks to the metal detectors and let other folks bypass them.

Thank you

 

[NobodyElse]

Since this seems to be the catch-all thread for "stuff around the parks"...

Anaheim streetcar making a comeback

It's an opinion piece, but it talks about this:
" “In August, the OCTA initiated a study on Harbor Boulevard between the Fullerton Transportation Center and Westminster Avenue, and a month ago the project team presented 12 draft conceptual alternatives for board members to review,” the Register noted. “Of the dozen options, seven involve a streetcar.” "

 

[Deleted member 107043]

It's the 21st century. The fact that the world's most famous theme park resort sits 45 minutes south of downtown LA and is (mostly) only accessible by car is pretty ridiculous.