Disneyland’s long-term plans for theme park, retail and parking expansion moved one step closer to reality with the release of a key report by the city of Anaheim as Disney continues to reimagine what the future of the resort district will look like over the next four decades.
Anaheim released a 17,000-page Environmental Impact Report on Thursday, Sept. 14 for Disney’s expansion initiative known as DisneylandForward.
Disneyland hopes to have the project go before the Anaheim City Council for approval before the end of 2024. A public workshop outlining highlights of the DisneylandForward EIR will be held on Oct. 9 at Anaheim City Hall.
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The biggest impacts of the project involved air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and noise — but not transportation or neighborhood aesthetics.
Air quality would be significantly and unavoidably impacted during the construction phase and park operations of any Disneyland Forward project, according to the EIR.
Greenhouse gas emissions were considered a significant impact in part because they weren’t studied in the 1990s when the last master plan for the theme park resort district was approved.
Compared to the 1990s, Disneyland has reduced the number of vehicle miles traveled through employee carpool programs, shuttle services, telecommuting and public transit.
Many of the required mitigation efforts outlined in the DisneylandForward EIR regarding energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and sustainability measures are already in practice at the Anaheim theme parks.
Disney would limit noise by building temporary sound-buffering barriers during construction and permanent 12-foot-tall noise barriers along property lines around the park expansion. Fireworks would be prohibited in the proposed expansion areas.
A fourth major impact would be to Disneyland itself — a historic landmark more than 50 years old…
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