(P294) Security Overhaul at USH

[AlexanderMBush]

With the advent of P515 and P924's permits being uncovered by the Parkfans crew, I think it's actually time to have a dedicated thread on the subject of the P294 permits. And before we go further--major shoutout to Parkfans for the permits being uncovered and looked into as they have been.

To dive in--P294 is an extensive three-location based project, that will be redistributing and repositioning the Security Check stands to key positions, in order to effectively curate a "Universal Bubble".



The bubble, would ensure that security check stands would be located at three positions: "West (Parksfans did a small error on this image) Hub" is to be located next to Frankenstein and the Exit gates, "Central Hub" to be located nearby the Jurassic Parking structure, and "East (Parksfans did a small error on this image) Hub" to be directly replacing the I-Fly structure, and to encroach nearby current USH Tech Services.



For the Western Hub--large infrastructural changes will be occurring, including the regrading of the terrain to have the security hub be the walkway as people exit out of Frankenstein. The regrading will also be causing that of ADA ramps and that of adjacent stairs to be much closer to that of the valet entrance.

It also is not clear as of yet, what will be happening to the iconic USH neon sign (but one would assume that they would be preserving and making sure that sign stays alive for future generations of use.



By contrast to the West and East plans, not much is truthfully visible about the Central, but this should be serving triple duty by serving as the likely hub of USH Shuttle Dropoff/Pickup to LAMetro's "Universal City Station"; the Jurassic Parking Structure & Rideshare, and that of Front Gate parking.

Adjustments have already been quietly made to let TM's know that this area will be getting used for future developments; so hopefully it won't be long until we see shovels on the ground.



The final area as part of P294's Three Hubs is the "Eastern Hub". The security hub for this one will be bordering much closer to the current USH Tech Services structure; and should serve as the main entryway for those who go to the park from either Curious George and that of the ET Parking Structure. In the process of what will be getting affected by this, IFly will be fully demolished as part of the project and this will be it's replacement.
________
Unrelated to ParksFans, but important to bring up; I have heard the plan is to have the current entrances and exits be reconfigured to be directly used as "Exit" points. Effectively making it a "One-Way" access for those who wish to enter the bubble, and to leave the bubble. The closest example of what these exit points will look like, is something closer to the Walter Gate setup that is nearby at Antojitos and Abercrombie and Fitch.
_________
Before I go any further, I want to once again thank the amazing team at Parkfans the ability to get these permit plans out to the public. This project is something that on the surface level, is going to change USH for a levy of reasons even more than P515's importance as a hotel. The link is directly below:

News - Universal Studios Hollywood Projects 515 & 294: New Resort & Security Overhaul

As originally found by Theme Park Wizard on Twitter, NBCUniversal has filed three permits today: for an 11 story hotel structure east of the property. https://twitter.com/ParkWizar1/status/1653557739564732416 I have also done checks and can confirm it's legitimacy.

parkfans.net

I wish to speculate more on the matter, but I believe I will be double-posting to allow this to be the starting post of the thread proper; that way the permits are allowed the chance to shine on their own elements.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Double-posting as I wish to do so more as to speculate; I made this thread separate from others; is that I wanted to establish this thread as it is just as important of a project for Universal Studios Hollywood as P515 is. If not more than that.

Once complete, it effectively curates what you may call a "Bubble". The bubble would ensure that once you enter the property, you will not be able to exit unless you intentionally plan on leaving through the direct channels of doing so. And so doing, it directly allows key areas of CityWalk to flourish as a byproduct.

Let's consider Margharitaville and Toothsome, with the Eastern Hub. From the moment you enter the park say from Curious George and ET, you will be forced to walk past that of the two dining locations as you make your way. With the curation of the bubble, alongside the foot traffic that will occur as guests choose to stay on-site with P515; it will allow these two sit-down locations to flourish and be able to draw people in from the second they enter. It'd force Universal's hand to directly make changes to increase operational hours for these two dining locations, as it will be the first things that people will see.

Another benefactor, is Escapology; as it does a similar element as drawing guests to it as if it is one of CityWalk's "Core" experiences (the core experiences right now being that of the Universal Cinema and the Escapology opening in January). As it will be directly one of the first & last things that guests will see, it should push more interest as people are meant to walk past and by that of the experience. Thus then allowing the location to operate with the expected desire of welcoming more customers.

The additional potential benefactor, would be the increased desire to keep people on-property after hours through a resurgence of nightlife. With the Central and Western Hubs, it should nip the bud in allowing Universal to curb and prevent bad apples from entering onto property. Doing so, should allow that of the CityLoft concept to be potentially a viable option again. If at the very least, allowing them to explore potentially looking into repurposing Infusion and Howl @ The Moon's locations for something that could be our equivalent of the Red Coconut Club from UOR.

To me, P294 is the most important project we have at our foreseeable future; because once it is turned on, it will allow USH operations to be able to expand the CityWalk's potential for nighttime entertainment to be back to a level that hasn't been seen since the late 2000's and early 2010's. It has been a move that has been a long time coming, and I believe it is important to give these security overhauls a thread that is deserved for the context of what it will be doing.