A LOT is happening in Disneyland right now.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

A new updated ToonTown opened earlier this year, with Disneyland’s own version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Tarzan’s Treehouse is becoming Adventureland Treehouse. A new Tiana-themed restaurant has also opened and construction is still underway for the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride. But Disneyland has also been working with the City of Anaheim to loosen some restrictions that could mean an expansion for the resort.

In 1993, the City of Anaheim and Disney made an agreement to establish five zones on Disneyland’s property. Those areas were given strict guidelines as to how they could be developed, depending on whether they were for theme parks, hotels, parking, expansions, and District A. These restrictions, however, meant that if Disneyland wanted to add certain things to the parks, they’d have to remove other things. For example, Avengers Campus meant that A Bug’s Land had to go.

Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure

However, DisneylandForward was created to work with the city of Anaheim, as well as the local community, to update those guidelines to allow Disney more flexibility for future building projects. Right now, the land isn’t properly zoned for the type of use needed for those projects. 

Uses and Approvals ©Disney

Now, the city of Anaheim has released an environmental impact report, which is the next step in the process of looking at the proposed Disneyland expansion, bringing it closer to becoming a reality. According to the Orange County Register, the 17,000-page report shows that the highest impacts of the expansion would be with air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise.

New Orleans Square in Disneyland

Disney has already planned to limit noise by building temporary barriers that would buffer sound during construction, as well as barriers around property lines and expansion projects. The company would also prohibit fireworks in the proposed areas.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland

The study also notes that Disneyland is a historic theme park and acknowledges that change has always been an important part of its history, meaning that the DisneylandForward project is historically appropriate. In fact, the Main Street Railroad Depot, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hungry Bear Restaurant are listed on the California Register of Historic Places. 

Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean is officially a historic place

However, Disney is still required to limit aesthetics that would affect nearby neighborhoods. The company is also prohibited from having unfinished backstage areas facing public streets or other public spaces. There are also building height guidelines to consider.

ToonTown

As far as possibilities go, if the city of Anaheim decides to change the guidelines, Disney has previously mentioned ideas like lands based on Frozen, Tangled, Toy Story, Zootopia, and more. However, both Disneyland and the city of Anaheim have a lot of things to work out before any projects come to fruition. But now, it does seem like the expansion has become more of a possibility for Disney’s West Coast resort.

We’ll keep an eye out for more Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more!

Everything You Need to Know About Disneyland’s Expansion

What would you like to see in Disneyland’s expansion? Let us know in the comments!