New Disneyland Parking Garage and Transportation Hub

[Practical Pig]

Encroachments usually need to have a demonstrated need and benefit to the public. If Disney is able to move people with busses and others means then it undermines their argument that the public has to give something up. What is best for Disney’s Operations is not necessarily going to be viewed as necessary for giving up public property.

Would it not benefit the public to keep yet another fleet of buses off the already crowded grid?

 

[Disney Irish]

Encroachments usually need to have a demonstrated need and benefit to the public. If Disney is able to move people with busses and others means then it undermines their argument that the public has to give something up. What is best for Disney’s Operations is not necessarily going to be viewed as necessary for giving up public property.

I highly doubt if there are going to be buses used in this case. As @Practical Pig pointed out, its not going to benefit the public for more buses on an already crowded area. Which means people are walking at ground level. That is an extra 10k+ people all walking and using that single cross walk in front of IHOP. This puts a burden on an already busy cross walk with extra potential for people getting hurt. As there is not enough sidewalk to handle that extra onslaught of people in the mornings and evenings.

 

[Disney Irish]

She does state they could cross at the existing crosswalk but all plans I saw eliminated that crosswalk and forced traffic to cross at Manchester if they wanted to avoid the new entrance.

Actually the cross walk is still on the plans, its just faint as its not the focus of the plans.

Here is the plan documents:

http://www.anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/14099

If you look at page 5 its a larger view of the page from the presentation. It shows the cross walk still there.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Actually the cross walk is still on the plans, its just faint as its not the focus of the plans.

Here is the plan documents:

http://www.anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/14099

If you look at page 5 its a larger view of the page from the presentation. It shows the cross walk still there.

Something is fishy here. Didn't they say that the northbound westside Harbor Blvd sidewalk traffic would route east at the Disney Way/Harbor Blvd. intersection, forcing pedestrians to the Eastern Gateway? I'm confused.

 

[Disney Irish]

Something is fishy here. Didn't they say that the northbound westside Harbor Blvd sidewalk traffic would route east at the Disney Way/Harbor Blvd. intersection, forcing pedestrians to the Eastern Gateway? I'm confused.

I'm not sure where you got that pedestrians would be "forced". Again as was described by Disney in the video I posted, the cross walk would stay open and a small security station would be placed at the Harbor gate. Doesn't sound like anyone is forced to do anything. Sounds like options for entrance to DLR from Harbor to me.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I'm not sure where you got that pedestrians would be "forced".

I'm not either, and I don't have time to dig up the discussion, but I clearly remember reading somewhere in these threads that the sidewalk would end at that intersection and pedestrians would be routed east to the Gateway. I could be wrong, but if you recall that's one of the reasons why so many people, me included, were not big fans of the proposal.

 

[disneylandcm]

Perhaps. But it's a calculated risk. Starting the structure on a timeline for completion before SW:GE opens, while continuing to negotiate for some form of bridge and security screening gives them 18 months before that proof negates their position.

I think that may be happening as there are three earth mover/tractors (okay-construction isn’t one of my strengths) and two water-tank trucks on site which have been moving around for the last few days. It appears to be site preparation work.

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm not either, and I don't have time to dig up the discussion, but I clearly remember reading somewhere in these threads that the sidewalk would end at that intersection and pedestrians would be routed east to the Gateway. I could be wrong, but if you recall that's one of the reasons why so many people, me included, were not big fans of the proposal.

What I think everyone focused on was what was presented. Disney during the presentation itself never said, "Hey if you want to still cross at the cross walk you will still be able to and enter from Harbor". So there was a lot of confusion, which is why there were two committee members that had the same question. But none of the follow-up questions by the committee members where it was clarified was ever reported on. So it lead to the continued confusion and the rumor mills took over and we got "Disney is closing the Harbor entrance and the city is removing the cross walk so now everyone will have to walk miles instead of across the street". I even fell for it at one point until I dug deeper.

 

[Disney Irish]

I think that may be happening as there are three earth mover/tractors (okay-construction isn’t one of my strengths) and two water-tank trucks on site which have been moving around for the last few days. It appears to be site preparation work.

Someone mentioned a couple weeks ago they were just moving dirt around, likely to prevent overgrowth. But it would be interesting if they really were moving forward with just the parking structure for now.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

What I think everyone focused on was what was presented. Disney during the presentation itself never said, "Hey if you want to still cross at the cross walk you will still be able to and enter from Harbor". So there was a lot of confusion, which is why there were two committee members that had the same question. But none of the follow-up questions by the committee members where it was clarified was ever reported on. So it lead to the continued confusion and the rumor mills took over and we got "Disney is closing the Harbor entrance and the city is removing the cross walk so now everyone will have to walk miles instead of across the street". I even fell for it at one point until I dug deeper.

This is why I usually take everything I read on Disney fan sites with a grain of salt until, like you said, I can dig deeper. Looks like I relied too heavily on second hand reports instead of paying closer attention to what was actually said at the presentation. I'm not emotionally involved in the project enough to give it much attention, and it's likely I'll never enter DLR via the Eastern Gateway, however I am wondering what recommendations were given to Disney by the City Council. What concerns was Disney specifically asked to address after the public review of the Eastern Gateway project?

 

[Disney Irish]

This is why I usually take everything I read on Disney fan sites with a grain of salt until, like you said, I can dig deeper. Looks like I relied too heavily on second hand reports instead of paying closer attention to what was actually said at the presentation. I'm not emotionally involved in the project enough to give it much attention, and it's likely I'll never enter DLR via the Eastern Gateway, however I am wondering what recommendations were given to Disney by the City Council. What concerns was Disney specifically asked to address after the public review of the Eastern Gateway project?

I believe @Darkbeer1 has given a good update on the issues and where things are now. So now its just a waiting game until something happens. Will Disney come back with updated plans as was reported. Or will they just move forward with building just the parking structure for now. And then hope for the best in the 2018 election to get better council support.

I think we will find out pretty quickly. Now that @Darkbeer1 is back on the case I'm sure will get regular updates as they become available.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, Hans asked, and some others are confused, so let's see what happened, and what needs to be addressed.

First off, what is in front of the planning commission is JUST the Disney portion of the project, and not the overall "Anaheim Eastern Gateway". What that means is there is a large part of the project that the city (along with the county and state, and its agencies) has to do, mainly the roadways and related transportation that is on public right a ways, plus the city has to take into consideration other projects, such as the new 4-star that Wincome wants to build on the Anaheim Hotel property, and the JW Marriott and one more hotel on the vacant GardenWalk property. Plus the city has to protect its big asset, the Convention Center with Direct and indirect impacts.

So we are talking about the roads from the freeway on/off ramps, and mainly Harbor Blvd, Disney Way and Manchester. But also Katella Avenue, Anaheim Blvd. (Remember the city owned Sports Center that hosts the USA Volleyball and Badminton teams) is on the east side of I-5 across from the Disneyland part of the project, and even Ball Road.

Legally, all parties can talk to the city staff, except the city council direct for legal reasons. The city bylaws and other rules/regulations state that the council can only address specific senior staff, and only at specific times. Plus the councilmembers are limited when and where a group of them can get together and talk as a group. (Open Meeting laws)

So the city staff has to predict the wishes of the council, and related groups, such as the planning commission, whose job it is to approve the actions once completed. For a comparison, sausage making. The interested parties want to make sausage, The Chef knows what he wants to do and make, in this case Disney. But the end user, the city tells the Chef they want a Chicken and Pork used as meat, and a bit spicy, but not too spicy. So the Disney staff, along with the city staff work to make it. Once it is done, then the City Council can taste it, and can send it back to the chef, saying it was too spicy, and had more chicken then they liked, and want more pork.

So, the city staff knows it has access to grant money from other agencies to help with the roads/transportation, if designed in a specific way, such as freeway off-ramps, bus stops, and other road improvements, and tells Disney to place take this into consideration where your project interacts with those points. They also tell Disney what things meet code, and which parts can't e approved. Plus they give Disney a list of requests the "staff" want, such as better signage, help with the impact of the other projects, etc. Also, the city tries to make the project "revenue neutral" to itself. But is required by law to pay for some of the issues, such as the roads, as Disney is not the only cause for the traffic on those roadways.

So the crosswalks on Harbor are not controlled by Disney and not part of what it is of the project being presented to the planning commission. Only the location of entrances of driveways can be changed by Disney. The only thing that can be looked at is parts of the bridge, and the eastern landing. Anything from the west edge of Harbor is already part of the "Master Plan" and Disney can do whatever it wants. Moving the Monorail tracks, so long as the change is on Disney property and meets current build codes, can go anywhere. What Disney does with the current Transportation Hub, the city can't sop. Where Disney puts a Security check (or lack thereof) and its size on current property is also not part of the approval process. Heck, Disney could today close and fence off all of the current land used of the entrance and force everyone to enter off Disneyland Drive and the west side through Downtown Disney. (Only requirement would be exits to meet fire codes, but every one of them can be just an exit used at limited times). Now, that could cause Disney a lot of problems, but legally they can do it, and there is nothing the Harbor Blvd Businesses can do about it.

As for Harbor Blvd, the bridge itself is allowed for many reasons, and does not need approval to be built. Now, the design is up for discussion, so the "look of it" is being discussed. This is a privately owned bridge, so access to it can be controlled by Disney, and why Disney can make it part of its secure zone. Disney could also get Federal government law enforcement agencies support for the need for the security checkpoint as part of the Eastern Gateway, and already has the un-official support for the need of a larger space, so the city is limited once again to the design and location adjustments, but can't remove it from the project.

As mentioned, the Structure itself is approved, and part of the master plan.

http://www.anaheim.net/1017/Disneyland-Resort

The city can't require the purchase of more land, so the eastern landing has to be the Carousel property.

So the Security checkpoint and new private transportation hub needs approval, but some of the access can be mandated by other governmental agency in regards to public transportation and carpool access (Which is pretty much every shuttle). So Disney can use those laws to make the city approve it as part of the "new" project.

So we are down to aesthetics, and public access to that part of the project.

The city staff, looking at the other items mentioned, overall traffic flow, the 4-Stars, and other things that make or will make the city more money, is asking for specific places where the driveways and sidewalks will be built.

But the planned work at the Harbor and Manchester intersection, including new left turn lanes. The city staff can tell the planning commission why they want Disney to locate their driveways in a certain way, but does not have to explain the fine details. Same with the Pumbaa access, and here is one key. This is the city asking, not telling Disney how to design the structure, so Disney can play off the city's need to have specific points to make the Disney Way and I-5 improvements work.

Now, the city can ask Disney to help pay their fair share for the needed public improvements, but they also know how much the city can get in grant money for those improvements.

So what type of Direction did Disney get from the workshops, well, make the bridge look better from the public viewpoints (aka off-property views). Also better public access to the project. That said, Disney cannot force any private business to allow share access, nor does Disney have to do it. So the city can ask for better access, but not that Denny's must have a direct path to the entrance.

So find ways to get the public to the "entrance" of the park, which will be on the Manchester property.

The city doesn't want to admit to the fact that the removal of the current crosswalk was a request it made, for traffic flow reasons, and that Disney wants to move the access point on the West side, which the city can't stop. And Disney wants the Harbor access to be the minimum, and desires as much traffic as possible to be at Manchester. The new Toy Story Tram station on Disney property is an corporation with the city, since they own ART, and for overall traffic issues. And yes, Disney is looking into having a security checkpoint at the Toy Story Lot to process those guests. Once again, something the city can't control.

So look for better signage, a prettier bridge when looking at it from Harbor, and some adjustments to pedestrian access to the new Security checkpoint.

What won't happen is Disney saying what their plans are on the West side of Harbor, and what will be at the current main Pedestrian entrance, which will be changing.

So you will see ways to improve the access to the new sidewalk next to the Pumbaa Structure on Disney Way, and some type of pedestrian access to the new security checkpoint from the North side of the bridge. Also, agreements with specific private businesses for shared access points between the properties to allow better access to the new entrance.

Also, some sort of agreement for Disney to help pay for some of the needed public road improvements.

But the discussion is limited to the newly purchased land, and that will still frustrate many, including members of the current city council, but they know they can't ask for the moon to approve the project. So they will be playing a big game of drama, where the results will be pre-determined, to appease their supporters.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I believe @Darkbeer1 has given a good update on the issues and where things are now. So now its just a waiting game until something happens. Will Disney come back with updated plans as was reported. Or will they just move forward with building just the parking structure for now. And then hope for the best in the 2018 election to get better council support.

I think we will find out pretty quickly. Now that @Darkbeer1 is back on the case I'm sure will get regular updates as they become available.

Well, I was busy writing when you posted

But Disney WANTS the project to be done at one time, and will be required to deal with a lot of headaches if they just builds the structure as a standalone. That's why Disney was happy to get the extra 400 spaces (well, most of the time, since they can't be used in very wet conditions).

So Disney will try for approval of the project one more time.

 

[Disney Irish]

Well, I was busy writing when you posted

Thanks again for your help in explaining the often overly complicated business of Anaheim politics and Disney.

But Disney WANTS the project to be done at one time, and will be required to deal with a lot of headaches if they just builds the structure as a standalone. That's why Disney was happy to get the extra 400 spaces (well, most of the time, since they can't be used in very wet conditions).

I just wonder if Disney would do the standalone parking structure for spite just to show the Council and Harbor Businesses why a bridge is really needed. Or that could be just me wanting some political drama played out on ABC...

So Disney will try for approval of the project one more time.

And let's hope it goes through smoothly this time without issue.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

OK, Hans asked, and some others are confused, so let's see what happened, and what needs to be addressed.

First off, what is in front of the planning commission is JUST the Disney portion of the project, and not the overall "Anaheim Eastern Gateway". What that means is there is a large part of the project that the city (along with the county and state, and its agencies) has to do, mainly the roadways and related transportation that is on public right a ways, plus the city has to take into consideration other projects, such as the new 4-star that Wincome wants to build on the Anaheim Hotel property, and the JW Marriott and one more hotel on the vacant GardenWalk property. Plus the city has to protect its big asset, the Convention Center with Direct and indirect impacts.

So we are talking about the roads from the freeway on/off ramps, and mainly Harbor Blvd, Disney Way and Manchester. But also Katella Avenue, Anaheim Blvd. (Remember the city owned Sports Center that hosts the USA Volleyball and Badminton teams) is on the east side of I-5 across from the Disneyland part of the project, and even Ball Road.

Legally, all parties can talk to the city staff, except the city council direct for legal reasons. The city bylaws and other rules/regulations state that the council can only address specific senior staff, and only at specific times. Plus the councilmembers are limited when and where a group of them can get together and talk as a group. (Open Meeting laws)

So the city staff has to predict the wishes of the council, and related groups, such as the planning commission, whose job it is to approve the actions once completed. For a comparison, sausage making. The interested parties want to make sausage, The Chef knows what he wants to do and make, in this case Disney. But the end user, the city tells the Chef they want a Chicken and Pork used as meat, and a bit spicy, but not too spicy. So the Disney staff, along with the city staff work to make it. Once it is done, then the City Council can taste it, and can send it back to the chef, saying it was too spicy, and had more chicken then they liked, and want more pork.

So, the city staff knows it has access to grant money from other agencies to help with the roads/transportation, if designed in a specific way, such as freeway off-ramps, bus stops, and other road improvements, and tells Disney to place take this into consideration where your project interacts with those points. They also tell Disney what things meet code, and which parts can't e approved. Plus they give Disney a list of requests the "staff" want, such as better signage, help with the impact of the other projects, etc. Also, the city tries to make the project "revenue neutral" to itself. But is required by law to pay for some of the issues, such as the roads, as Disney is not the only cause for the traffic on those roadways.

So the crosswalks on Harbor are not controlled by Disney and not part of what it is of the project being presented to the planning commission. Only the location of entrances of driveways can be changed by Disney. The only thing that can be looked at is parts of the bridge, and the eastern landing. Anything from the west edge of Harbor is already part of the "Master Plan" and Disney can do whatever it wants. Moving the Monorail tracks, so long as the change is on Disney property and meets current build codes, can go anywhere. What Disney does with the current Transportation Hub, the city can't sop. Where Disney puts a Security check (or lack thereof) and its size on current property is also not part of the approval process. Heck, Disney could today close and fence off all of the current land used of the entrance and force everyone to enter off Disneyland Drive and the west side through Downtown Disney. (Only requirement would be exits to meet fire codes, but every one of them can be just an exit used at limited times). Now, that could cause Disney a lot of problems, but legally they can do it, and there is nothing the Harbor Blvd Businesses can do about it.

As for Harbor Blvd, the bridge itself is allowed for many reasons, and does not need approval to be built. Now, the design is up for discussion, so the "look of it" is being discussed. This is a privately owned bridge, so access to it can be controlled by Disney, and why Disney can make it part of its secure zone. Disney could also get Federal government law enforcement agencies support for the need for the security checkpoint as part of the Eastern Gateway, and already has the un-official support for the need of a larger space, so the city is limited once again to the design and location adjustments, but can't remove it from the project.

As mentioned, the Structure itself is approved, and part of the master plan.

http://www.anaheim.net/1017/Disneyland-Resort

The city can't require the purchase of more land, so the eastern landing has to be the Carousel property.

So the Security checkpoint and new private transportation hub needs approval, but some of the access can be mandated by other governmental agency in regards to public transportation and carpool access (Which is pretty much every shuttle). So Disney can use those laws to make the city approve it as part of the "new" project.

So we are down to aesthetics, and public access to that part of the project.

The city staff, looking at the other items mentioned, overall traffic flow, the 4-Stars, and other things that make or will make the city more money, is asking for specific places where the driveways and sidewalks will be built.

But the planned work at the Harbor and Manchester intersection, including new left turn lanes. The city staff can tell the planning commission why they want Disney to locate their driveways in a certain way, but does not have to explain the fine details. Same with the Pumbaa access, and here is one key. This is the city asking, not telling Disney how to design the structure, so Disney can play off the city's need to have specific points to make the Disney Way and I-5 improvements work.

Now, the city can ask Disney to help pay their fair share for the needed public improvements, but they also know how much the city can get in grant money for those improvements.

So what type of Direction did Disney get from the workshops, well, make the bridge look better from the public viewpoints (aka off-property views). Also better public access to the project. That said, Disney cannot force any private business to allow share access, nor does Disney have to do it. So the city can ask for better access, but not that Denny's must have a direct path to the entrance.

So find ways to get the public to the "entrance" of the park, which will be on the Manchester property.

The city doesn't want to admit to the fact that the removal of the current crosswalk was a request it made, for traffic flow reasons, and that Disney wants to move the access point on the West side, which the city can't stop. And Disney wants the Harbor access to be the minimum, and desires as much traffic as possible to be at Manchester. The new Toy Story Tram station on Disney property is an corporation with the city, since they own ART, and for overall traffic issues. And yes, Disney is looking into having a security checkpoint at the Toy Story Lot to process those guests. Once again, something the city can't control.

So look for better signage, a prettier bridge when looking at it from Harbor, and some adjustments to pedestrian access to the new Security checkpoint.

What won't happen is Disney saying what their plans are on the West side of Harbor, and what will be at the current main Pedestrian entrance, which will be changing.

So you will see ways to improve the access to the new sidewalk next to the Pumbaa Structure on Disney Way, and some type of pedestrian access to the new security checkpoint from the North side of the bridge. Also, agreements with specific private businesses for shared access points between the properties to allow better access to the new entrance.

Also, some sort of agreement for Disney to help pay for some of the needed public road improvements.

But the discussion is limited to the newly purchased land, and that will still frustrate many, including members of the current city council, but they know they can't ask for the moon to approve the project. So they will be playing a big game of drama, where the results will be pre-determined, to appease their supporters.

VERY well said (and it's nice to have you back). This description sounds a lot closer to reality than much of the conjecture (including some of my own). I agree with your last sentence--Disney and the city will be sending each other signals (mostly within what the law allows, although there could still be some behind the scenes messages). This thing will have to play out in public, but that's not necessarily where the action is. We're still playing poker and I never bet against Disney. And I never confuse the prowess of their legal team with their limited-term front office execs.

If Disney and city staff are smart, they will be looking for ways to offer carrots to the businesses West of Pumbaa and North of Carousel to achieve these access objectives. And a sh*tload of PR. I would not be surprised to see Disney making cosmetic changes to the project to make it look like Anaheim is getting more concessions than they really are.

Face it--the bridge proposal is ugly. Not as ugly as the "stadium rock concert" security screening area at M&F, but still damned ugly.

I still object to the lack of speedwalks or at-grade loading peoplemovers over the bridge. But I'm afraid that ship has sailed.

JUST GET THE DAMN PARKING BUILT!!! / rant

Thanks, darkbeer. Hope your health continues to improve.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I just wonder if Disney would do the standalone parking structure for spite just to show the Council and Harbor Businesses why a bridge is really needed. Or that could be just me wanting some political drama played out on ABC...

Wishful thinking. There is too much to lose. Remember Disney has made a deal with Wincome, which wants to build the 4-star on Harbor.
Also, Disney needs to work with the Chamber of Commerce to get a new Council in 2019.

Plus, there are some good members of the council that Disney wants to keep happy.

 

[TP2000]

OK, Hans asked, and some others are confused, so let's see what happened, and what needs to be addressed.

First off, what is in front of the planning commission is JUST the Disney portion of the project, and not the overall "Anaheim Eastern Gateway". What that means is there is a large part of the project that the city (along with the county and state, and its agencies) has to do, mainly the roadways and related transportation that is on public right a ways, plus the city has to take into consideration other projects, such as the new 4-star that Wincome wants to build on the Anaheim Hotel property, and the JW Marriott and one more hotel on the vacant GardenWalk property. Plus the city has to protect its big asset, the Convention Center with Direct and indirect impacts.

So we are talking about the roads from the freeway on/off ramps, and mainly Harbor Blvd, Disney Way and Manchester. But also Katella Avenue, Anaheim Blvd. (Remember the city owned Sports Center that hosts the USA Volleyball and Badminton teams) is on the east side of I-5 across from the Disneyland part of the project, and even Ball Road.

Legally, all parties can talk to the city staff, except the city council direct for legal reasons. The city bylaws and other rules/regulations state that the council can only address specific senior staff, and only at specific times. Plus the councilmembers are limited when and where a group of them can get together and talk as a group. (Open Meeting laws)

So the city staff has to predict the wishes of the council, and related groups, such as the planning commission, whose job it is to approve the actions once completed. For a comparison, sausage making. The interested parties want to make sausage, The Chef knows what he wants to do and make, in this case Disney. But the end user, the city tells the Chef they want a Chicken and Pork used as meat, and a bit spicy, but not too spicy. So the Disney staff, along with the city staff work to make it. Once it is done, then the City Council can taste it, and can send it back to the chef, saying it was too spicy, and had more chicken then they liked, and want more pork.

So, the city staff knows it has access to grant money from other agencies to help with the roads/transportation, if designed in a specific way, such as freeway off-ramps, bus stops, and other road improvements, and tells Disney to place take this into consideration where your project interacts with those points. They also tell Disney what things meet code, and which parts can't e approved. Plus they give Disney a list of requests the "staff" want, such as better signage, help with the impact of the other projects, etc. Also, the city tries to make the project "revenue neutral" to itself. But is required by law to pay for some of the issues, such as the roads, as Disney is not the only cause for the traffic on those roadways.

So the crosswalks on Harbor are not controlled by Disney and not part of what it is of the project being presented to the planning commission. Only the location of entrances of driveways can be changed by Disney. The only thing that can be looked at is parts of the bridge, and the eastern landing. Anything from the west edge of Harbor is already part of the "Master Plan" and Disney can do whatever it wants. Moving the Monorail tracks, so long as the change is on Disney property and meets current build codes, can go anywhere. What Disney does with the current Transportation Hub, the city can't sop. Where Disney puts a Security check (or lack thereof) and its size on current property is also not part of the approval process. Heck, Disney could today close and fence off all of the current land used of the entrance and force everyone to enter off Disneyland Drive and the west side through Downtown Disney. (Only requirement would be exits to meet fire codes, but every one of them can be just an exit used at limited times). Now, that could cause Disney a lot of problems, but legally they can do it, and there is nothing the Harbor Blvd Businesses can do about it.

As for Harbor Blvd, the bridge itself is allowed for many reasons, and does not need approval to be built. Now, the design is up for discussion, so the "look of it" is being discussed. This is a privately owned bridge, so access to it can be controlled by Disney, and why Disney can make it part of its secure zone. Disney could also get Federal government law enforcement agencies support for the need for the security checkpoint as part of the Eastern Gateway, and already has the un-official support for the need of a larger space, so the city is limited once again to the design and location adjustments, but can't remove it from the project.

As mentioned, the Structure itself is approved, and part of the master plan.

http://www.anaheim.net/1017/Disneyland-Resort

The city can't require the purchase of more land, so the eastern landing has to be the Carousel property.

So the Security checkpoint and new private transportation hub needs approval, but some of the access can be mandated by other governmental agency in regards to public transportation and carpool access (Which is pretty much every shuttle). So Disney can use those laws to make the city approve it as part of the "new" project.

So we are down to aesthetics, and public access to that part of the project.

The city staff, looking at the other items mentioned, overall traffic flow, the 4-Stars, and other things that make or will make the city more money, is asking for specific places where the driveways and sidewalks will be built.

But the planned work at the Harbor and Manchester intersection, including new left turn lanes. The city staff can tell the planning commission why they want Disney to locate their driveways in a certain way, but does not have to explain the fine details. Same with the Pumbaa access, and here is one key. This is the city asking, not telling Disney how to design the structure, so Disney can play off the city's need to have specific points to make the Disney Way and I-5 improvements work.

Now, the city can ask Disney to help pay their fair share for the needed public improvements, but they also know how much the city can get in grant money for those improvements.

So what type of Direction did Disney get from the workshops, well, make the bridge look better from the public viewpoints (aka off-property views). Also better public access to the project. That said, Disney cannot force any private business to allow share access, nor does Disney have to do it. So the city can ask for better access, but not that Denny's must have a direct path to the entrance.

So find ways to get the public to the "entrance" of the park, which will be on the Manchester property.

The city doesn't want to admit to the fact that the removal of the current crosswalk was a request it made, for traffic flow reasons, and that Disney wants to move the access point on the West side, which the city can't stop. And Disney wants the Harbor access to be the minimum, and desires as much traffic as possible to be at Manchester. The new Toy Story Tram station on Disney property is an corporation with the city, since they own ART, and for overall traffic issues. And yes, Disney is looking into having a security checkpoint at the Toy Story Lot to process those guests. Once again, something the city can't control.

So look for better signage, a prettier bridge when looking at it from Harbor, and some adjustments to pedestrian access to the new Security checkpoint.

What won't happen is Disney saying what their plans are on the West side of Harbor, and what will be at the current main Pedestrian entrance, which will be changing.

So you will see ways to improve the access to the new sidewalk next to the Pumbaa Structure on Disney Way, and some type of pedestrian access to the new security checkpoint from the North side of the bridge. Also, agreements with specific private businesses for shared access points between the properties to allow better access to the new entrance.

Also, some sort of agreement for Disney to help pay for some of the needed public road improvements.

But the discussion is limited to the newly purchased land, and that will still frustrate many, including members of the current city council, but they know they can't ask for the moon to approve the project. So they will be playing a big game of drama, where the results will be pre-determined, to appease their supporters.

This is a purely selfish reaction on my part, but it's posts like that which make me so happy to hear you are feeling better!

 

[Darkbeer1]

You want Drama. what if Disney "flips the bird" to the city and fences off Harbor for guest access.

Pumbaa could still be built, and both Toy Story and Pumbaa shuttles could drop off on Disneyland Drive. And the Mickey & Friends Tram could be closed down, forcing everyone to walk from the west end of DtD.

Now, Disney would have to do a lot, including new park entrances and exits (aka Multiple ones), but with Galaxy Edge opening, would that be a bad thing? Plus the current Main Street bottleneck would play a smaller role, as it becomes more of a pathway to DCA.

Downtown Disney would have to be redesigned to keep the Fire Marshall happy, and some buildings might need to be demolished.

The 4th Hotel would have to be cancelled to have enough land for a new transportation hub, but would gain property on Harbor for park expansion or back stage issues.

But Disney has the right to do it, and the city and Harbor Businesses could complain as much as they want to.

But it would cost Disney a lot of money, and why it won't happen.

 

[Disney Irish]

You want Drama. what if Disney "flips the bird" to the city and fences off Harbor for guest access.

Pumbaa could still be built, and both Toy Story and Pumbaa shuttles could drop off on Disneyland Drive. And the Mickey & Friends Tram could be closed down, forcing everyone to walk from the west end of DtD.

Now, Disney would have to do a lot, including new park entrances and exits (aka Multiple ones), but with Galaxy Edge opening, would that be a bad thing? Plus the current Main Street bottleneck would play a smaller role, as it becomes more of a pathway to DCA.

Downtown Disney would have to be redesigned to keep the Fire Marshall happy, and some buildings might need to be demolished.

The 4th Hotel would have to be cancelled to have enough land for a new transportation hub, but would gain property on Harbor for park expansion or back stage issues.

But Disney has the right to do it, and the city and Harbor Businesses could complain as much as they want to.

But it would cost Disney a lot of money, and why it won't happen.

While I know Disney will play nice and try to work with Anaheim, I sometimes wonder if some of the Execs just wanna say screw it and do what you propose.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

You want Drama. what if Disney "flips the bird" to the city and fences off Harbor for guest access.

Sounds like you almost wish it would happen.

What advantage would there be for Disney to pull such a potentially risky stunt? Given the long history of arrogance from Disney's Burbank HQ it wouldn't surprise me if they tried something stupid like that, but such a move would not only be costly it could turn into a PR nightmare.