Don't worry. I have been told by friends in commercial real estate that exact message was made loud and clear in Anaheim City Hall during the last 18 months. Painfully clear.
"Itās as if somehow we should feel fortunate that Walt Disney chose Anaheim.ā -Dr. Jose Moreno, Anaheim City Councilman, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, September 17th, 2018
100% agreed. I have to admit -- you've been expressing this sentiment on this message board for quite some time (in the context of things like reworking Tomorrowland), and I've found the concern perhaps a bit too overblown. I do not feel that way anymore! In light of all the post-covid changes at Disneyland (and the objectives of the Chapek regime becoming quite clear), I am finding myself wanting to cling to the park as it stands right now. No reimaginings, no expansions, please! Disneyland is not perfect but just imagine the damage that could be done (do we really trust them to build a bridge from Critter Country to the Stitch Lot?).
Imagine one day looking at the Stitch Lot and thinking, "I liked it better as a parking lot."
Just to play devils advocate it could easily be down elegantly. I admit, when thinking of a bridge connecting Critter Country to the DTD lot i imagine them flattening Pooh corner and plopping down the I-5 freeway which of course is not how it would be done. Imagine if they just used the left side of the Pooh store and created a path (the size of the Critter Country path to GE) with a couple bends. That way you would preserve the tucked away feel of Critter Country as long as the path goes long enough before they construct anything that can be seen from Critter Country (aside from trees).
If they don't like Disney, that's fine. But that's what Anaheim is known for, whether they like it or not.
In Tokyo DisneySea they have lots of bridges and scenic walkways that give you great views of the surroundings, and distant landmarks, and waterways beneath you.
But then there are also places in the park where the walkways go through tunnels and through canyons or otherwise obstructed viewing areas. These walkways go over service roads and ugly "backstage" areas they don't want you to see. But as you walk along them and over these bridges, you either don't realize you are walking over a bridge or don't realize you are being prevented from seeing streets and loading docks and service infrastructure below you.
It's entirely possible for WDI to create bridges over Disneyland Drive that won't seem like bridges or look like overpasses.
A few examples of walkways/bridges in Tokyo DisneySea that hide the busy roadways/service areas running alongside and beneath them...
These two aren't the same. You are showing a bridge from outside the park vs inside the park views at DisneySea.
Here's the view from the topside of the bridge in Downtown Disney looking south and north on Disneyland Drive.
View attachment 596539
View attachment 596540
Does it look as good as Disney Sea? No, but it never will. This is for a cross walk over the road and looks fine from the outside. I'm not sure why the monorail beams get a pass but the bridge has to some extravagant architecture. Especially when this is about the same view you'll see while crossing Harbor for 20-30 seconds.
The fact that shutting down Disneyland had such a dire economic consequence for Anaheim, should be a sign that Anaheim needs to diversify and find other avenues of supporting themselves, other than just putting all their eggs in the Disneyland basket.
Sorry for the confusion, I thought we were talking about the views we'll get as park guests when we walk over the bridge from Critter Country to NatGeo Land or whatever it will be.
I agree, there's a big difference in expectations and needs when talking about seeing a bridge as a motorist or pedestrian as you travel along a city street, versus what you'd see as a paying park guest while walking over the bridge itself.
That doesn't change the fact they went way too cheap and ugly on the original Eastern Gateway pedestrian bridge during that awful period five years ago that Michael Colglazier was ruining decades-old relationships with the City of Anaheim.
True. But this is also for nothing more than a shopping mall that is free to enter. Expectations are wildly lower for that customer base. And the Downtown Disney bridge works very well at that, especially now that the landscaping has grown in all over that area.
If they are going to charge $150 or more to get in, and then demand an extra $15+ to ride E Tickets, when I'm walking over the bridge across Disneyland Drive from NatGeo Land to get back for my $19 Lightning Lane reservation at Tiana's Bayou Bash N' Splash, Presented by Ziploc, I better darn well not be able to tell I'm on a bridge over Disneyland Drive.
That's where the DisneySea analogies and standards should apply, in my opinion.
I never know what I'm really responding to.
By they way, pre-Pandemic Anaheim had an annual city budget of $2 Billion. (with a B)
This 2019 article from the OC Register sums it up in just the first few sentences...
Anaheim City Council members will vote on a $2 billion budget for 2019-20 on Tuesday, June 18.
Itās a balanced budget proposal that would spend $355 million from the general fund, which covers basic services such as police and fire, parks and road repair. Thatās a 9 percent increase over the current fiscal year, mainly due to annual increases in city pension contributions and stepped-up homeless services including the opening of two city-funded shelters, city spokesman Mike Lyster said.
Hotel room taxes should continue to provide the biggest share of general fund revenue, with $174 million projected in 2019-20, followed by sales and then property taxes. All three revenue sources have been on a general upward trend for nearly the past decade.
Anaheimās 2019-20 budget to be balanced at $2 billion; biggest chunk of revenue comes from hotel taxes
A $355 million general fund budget keeps staffing level and includes more LED streetlights, another dog park, soccer fields and an outdoor lab at Oak Canyon Nature Center.www.ocregister.com
A quick Google search on the two comparably sized cities I listed above, St. Louis and New Orleans, Anaheim spends far more money on city services than they do. Anaheim's budget is more than double that of New Orleans (admittedly a poor, Southern city, but one based on tourism and legacy pro sports teams). St. Louis is a typical Midwest city, but relies more heavily than most on tourism via taxes on riverboat casinos and hotels.
New Orleans City Budget 2019 = $726 Million
St. Louis City Budget 2019 = $1.0 Billion
Anaheim City Budget 2019 = $2.0 Billion
Inside New Orleans' $726M budget: How approved tax rates will protect city's 'most vital services'
The deal is done and New Orleans has its $726 million budget in hand for 2020.www.nola.com
Wth is Anaheim spending 2 billion on?
Gene Autry Way never made sense and it still confuses me why city planning people continue to defend it as this big deal.
Can anyone shed light on the proposed closing of portions of Disneyland Drive?
What are the odds of this happening and not severely value engineered?
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