Anaheim City Council Vote
Last night (actually early this morning), the Anaheim City Council met at Anaheim City Hall to discuss and vote on the DisneylandForward project. The City Council gave preliminary approval to the project with a vote of 7 to 0. The project will now move on to the Anaheim City Council for final approval during their next meeting on May 7, 2024.
Assuming the DisneylandForward project is approved on May 7, 2024, Disneyland can move Forward with their plans for the project after 30 days. So, on June 6, 2024, Disneyland’s property rezoning would go into effect and Disneyland could start construction on projects related the project.
Information from the meeting
The Anaheim City Council meeting concluded early this morning around 1am PT. Public speakers took the majority of the meeting time. As with previous meetings, the public expressed support and non-support for the project. My favorite comment during the City Council comments and questions was from Council Member Jose Diaz. He said:
“I hear also from some residents who don’t understand economics asking for more resources for the residents and not to Disney. I have bad news for you. No economic growth means no resources for our residents. If you don’t believe me, you can move to Cuba or Venezuela and you are going to learn what I am saying really fast. 92% of the Cuban population is poor because there is no economic growth. So if we want to give resources to the residents, let’s let the economy grow.”
Anaheim City Council Member Jose Diaz
I really appreciate this comment because it expresses my feelings on the project 100%. I have watched every single City Council and Planning Commission meeting on the DisneylandForward project and so many public speakers have asked what is the City going to do for “me”. Well, if the City is not growing and bringing in more tax revenue, then the City does not have the resources to do anything for the residents. The DisneylandForward project will double the tax revenue for the City of Anaheim which will provide millions of dollars to help and improve the City. This is in addition to all of the contributions that Disney will provide to the City once the project is approved. These additional contributions include:
- Disney will contribute a total of $30 million to Anaheim’s Affordable Housing fund – $15 million within one year of approval and another $15 million at five years following approval.
- Disney will also contribute $8 million to the City of Anaheim within one year of project approval to be used at the discretion of the City for City Park improvements or reinvestments.
- Disney will also contribute up to $10 million for upgrades to the Katella Avenue sewer infrastructure.
And these are only a few of the contributions that Disney will provide to the City of Anaheim as part of the DisneylandForward project.
Next Steps
As I’ve already mentioned, the next Anaheim City Council meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2024. A final vote of the City Council will take during this meeting for the DisneylandForward project. If all goes well, the project will be officially approved during this meeting. And hopefully, we will start to hear official plans from Disney about “what’s next” for the Disneyland Resort.
To learn more about the DisneylandForward project, please visit DisneylandForward.com as well as the City of Anaheim’s website.
I’ll keep you posted with news from the Disneyland Forward project as I learn more. And as always, I’ll “see ya real soon” Mouseketeers!
