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New Parking Structure/Bus Depot

Nov 23, 2013
21,482
28,762
Seattle, WA!
It was officially shown off of the new plans to expand the current size of the resort's parking lot; locating itself east of the Carousel Hotel and next to the USCIS.

(Source, The Orange County Register)

ANAHEIM – Disney intends to construct a transportation hub, a massive parking structure and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard connecting them with Disneyland and Disney California Adventure ahead of the opening of “Star Wars” land in its signature theme park.

According to documents filed Wednesday in City Hall, the company proposes to start building a seven-story, 6,800-space parking structure next year along Disney Way.

The park also plans to shutter its current transportation hub, where buses from some Disney parking lots and hotel shuttles drop off visitors near the theme parks’ main gates to build the new one on a Disney-owned site about a half-mile away on Manchester Avenue.

The Carousel Inn and Suites, which Disney purchased last year for $32 million, would close in October and eventually get razed to make way for a pedestrian walkway leading from the new transit hub to the bridge 20 feet above Harbor.

Park-goers would go through security and then take the bridge toward the entrances of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. There are no plans for a moving walkway.

"This will help bring more people to the parks to check out the ‘Star Wars’ land and Marvel attractions they are planning in the future,” said Robert Niles, editor at ThemeParkInsider.com. “Clearly, Disney needs more parking to accommodate the new and returning visitors. ... Fans will welcome this."

This massive upgrade of its Anaheim property aims to boost parking capacity and help calm traffic on three oft-packed perimeter streets: Harbor, Ball Road and Katella Avenue. The new layout would encourage northbound I-5 drivers to slide into the new parking structure without going onto those three streets.

Dubbed the Eastern Gateway Project, the development is part of a $1 billion investment pledge Disney made with the city last year in exchange for Anaheim not levying an entertainment gate tax on park visitors.

“The Eastern Gateway is part of our substantial investment in Anaheim, which will provide additional guest parking and help to alleviate congestion in the Resort District as we continue to expand the Disneyland Resort,” Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said.

The entire project is scheduled for completion in late 2018.

Construction for Disneyland’s “Star Wars” land began earlier this year. No opening date has been set. Disney recently won approval to build a four-diamond luxury hotel in the northern part of Downtown Disney, with construction slated for 2018 and completion in 2021.

There are no plans to expand either park onto where the current transportation hub sits between Disneyland and California Adventure.

In recent years, Disney had assembled property required for this latest project. Prior to purchasing the Carousel, the company spent $48 million on a 13-acre site on Manchester.

Sometimes parking is so strained at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim that guests are directed to park at the nearby Convention Center or at the GardenWalk retail center. Employees, on the busiest days, park at Angel Stadium and get shuttled the two miles.

Disney’s latest development is expected to undergo a 30-day review by city officials. Then, the project will go to the Planning Commission when Disney seeks a conditional-use permit for the pedestrian bridge and the transit hub. The parking lot, previously announced, is already approved.

City officials said they would help Disney control traffic during construction.

Staff writer Mark Eades contributed to this report.

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The new structure is expected to open by 2018, as around 2018; the new hotel next to the Disneyland Hotel will be starting construction.

Thoughts on the new structure? Do you think the current bus depot will be used for a Marvelous expansion at DCA? sound off below!!
 
So, with the new parking garage, new security checkpoint, Disney will be closing the street entrance to the Harbor Blvd. hotels & restaurants, making their customers take a long detour walk to get into Disney Resort. That is going to effectively keep more business on Disney property & allow Disney to raise the prices on their hotels even more. Walt always complained about the motels & restaurant's feeding off of Disney. Now this shuts them out a bit...Actually it's a brilliant business move on Disney's part. I'm sure those restaurants & hotels that are presently in close walking distance are not too enthused.
 
I still don't understand why they're putting the rest of the Marvel expansion in Hollywood Land/behind the East Esplanade rather than using the space behind Tower of Terror.
 
So, with the new parking garage, new security checkpoint, Disney will be closing the street entrance to the Harbor Blvd. hotels & restaurants, making their customers take a long detour walk to get into Disney Resort. That is going to effectively keep more business on Disney property & allow Disney to raise the prices on their hotels even more. Walt always complained about the motels & restaurant's feeding off of Disney. Now this shuts them out a bit...Actually it's a brilliant business move on Disney's part. I'm sure those restaurants & hotels that are presently in close walking distance are not too enthused.
I could not agree more with you. I think this is actually a great idea, Do you think they will be able to bring the magic bands and the open entrance to the parks now like WDW? "not that I am a fan" but just asking, since I guess now it will be all closed off.
 
I could not agree more with you. I think this is actually a great idea, Do you think they will be able to bring the magic bands and the open entrance to the parks now like WDW? "not that I am a fan" but just asking, since I guess now it will be all closed off.
Supposedly they're going to do a smartphone app for Fast passes day of in the park. I've not read anything concerning Magic Bands. I know they didn't set up Magic Bands for the new Shanghai Park.
 
Supposedly they're going to do a smartphone app for Fast passes day of in the park. I've not read anything concerning Magic Bands. I know they didn't set up Magic Bands for the new Shanghai Park.
Hmm That's interesting, and good point about Shanghai. Sometimes I wonder if they regret the billion+ dollars spent on that program and gateless entrances... and that's my main reason for not liking the bands, they sold it as improvement to the entrance experience but it still a clusterfrack of people.
 
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