Ex tm's will always shoot down ideas for streamlining operations. The northeast corner has room. Plus the relocation at the new property.
I’m all for streamlining. I’m anxious for everything behind the Studios to get redesigned.
However, the only thing that can really be moved to the new property are
resort operations and management. That really only amounts to two buildings. A&D works out of a soundstage. Creative is off property. The parks still have to have costuming, HR, maintenance, and other administrative/logistical requirements for two parks and CitiWalk along Turkey Lake Road.
Think about how Disney operates. They have Casting, which doubles as resort management offices, but each park has all of their own operational resources with them. They do that because it’s too much of a hassle to move employees and equipment across property on a day to day basis. There’s too much going on.
To think Universal is going to move the majority of its current backstage operations to the new property intimates a misunderstanding of what all happens back there.
Back to the proposed 14 acres between SS33 and Lost Continent.
That HR building wouldn’t be too difficult to move across the street, but would have to build around the Hogwarts Express and move the resort’s motor pool (which is centrally located because it’s centrally located). The maintenance bay could move too. The best place for all of that, however, is the resort admin buildings that were just built.
However, even if those changes are made, you still have to worry about the soundstage parking lot and vehicle access to Hard Rock Live and the Hollywood amphitheater. That includes parking for the DAVE School and Blue Man Group.
Now, could the expansion involve a bridge? It could, but it have to be tall enough for semi trailers to get through.
So, it’s not so much that ex TMs are against streamlining operations—they just have a much better idea of why the stuff that is there is actually there.