Walking through the frosty, snow-covered hamlet of Arendelle from “Frozen,” or the bustling, critter-filled metropolis of “Zootopia” might be possible one day for visitors to Disney’s Anaheim theme parks.
That’s only if Disney wins approval from local officials to expand its Anaheim resort.
With the proposed
, the company wants to spend $1.9 billion to develop the property over the next 10 years. That includes $40 million to buy streets from the city of Anaheim including Hotel Way, part of Clementine Street and Magic Way.
During a Monday night meeting that lasted just over six hours, the Anaheim Planning Commission voted 5-1 to greenlight the expansion project. The Anaheim City Council will still need to approve it at a meeting next month.
The proposed expansion wouldn’t increase Disney’s 490-acre (488-hectare) footprint in Southern California or change what the company already has permission to build. But it could help the company develop new attractions. They could place rides and entertainment options on what is currently a sprawling, 50-acre (20-hectare) parking lot – and move parking for Disneyland to a multistory structure – all while keeping within the boundaries of a resort surrounded by residential neighborhoods.