Disneyland Future Plans May Include Monorail Expansion, Other Changes

ANAHEIM, CA —Will the People Mover return to Disneyland Resort? Is the Monorail expanding to parking areas in the coming years? Those are a few of the ideas floated in the new environmental impact report recently released by the Disneyland Resort for the proposed "DisneyForward" project.

DisneylandForward is a multi-decade investment in the future of Disneyland resort," according to Disneyland Resort discussions with Orange County business leaders in May. "When Disney invests, all boats rise, and everyone benefits."

This week, the resort released its 17,000-page environmental impact, according to a report from Brady McDonald of the Southern California News Group. That will be available for review on Oct. 6, according to the city of Anaheim. Disneyland has proposed expansions both to the east and west, according to previous OC Register reports, with the possibility of new parking areas along Disney Way. But getting people from parking areas to the resort is one of the areas where change goes "magical."

The environmental report states that any new crossings "may be in the form of a bridge and sunken roadway similar to the existing Downtown Disney bridge, an elevated bridge with similar aesthetic treatment and dimensions as the existing Downtown Disney bridge, or a themed ride system."

According to reports from the Register, at the forefront of the DisneylandForward proposal is the desire to update the Anaheim city plan, last agreed upon in the 1990s, to allow for a mix of the theme park, hotel, retail, and dining at the east and western borders of the resort property.

The Register reviewed the Transportation category of the environmental impact report in-depth, revealing discussions of adding "themed ride systems" to move people from theme parks to parking areas—in the expansion of the beloved Monorail system and the possible return of the PeopleMover, which once held court in Tomorrowland. Other ideas are raised walkways, such as the pedestrian bridge built from the Pixar Parking Garage to Downtown Disney in 2019. The monorail expansion could include a stop at Anaheim's GardenWalk. Land near GardenWalk on Disney Way is flagged for another Disney-owned parking garage.

The study states there will be no impacts on transportation or the surrounding neighborhoods, according to the Register. The impact report details projected impacts on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise. This report is just the beginning, and a Disneyland spokesperson stated the full project plans would be presented to Anaheim's City Council sometime before the end of 2024.

According to the Register, Disneyland has used less than half of its millions of square feet that were already approved for the resort district. No physical expansion or additional acreage would be added for DisneylandForward.