Disneyland's $1.9B Expansion Includes $30M for Anaheim Housing

Disney has unveiled a $1.9B plan to develop an immersive theme park on the west side of Disneyland that includes a commitment to spend more than $100M on infrastructure in Anaheim and $30M to help build affordable housing in the city.

The plan to update the Disneyland Resort, called Disneyland Forward, was unveiled at a City Council meeting this week.

In exchange for Disney’s commitment to fund road and park improvements and fund new affordable housing, the city is granting Disney the flexibility to choose where it builds new theme park areas, hotels and restaurants within its existing footprint in Anaheim, an area that spans 500 acres, according to a report in the Orange County Register.

Disney’s development agreement with the city will span 40 years, lasting until 2064.

The deal includes $8M for city parks. Disney is proposing to buy some streets from Anaheim, including Magic Way, Hotel Way and part of Clementine, for $40M to make way for the expansion, part of a $90M investment to fund street improvements. Another $10M from Disney will fund the expansion of a sewer main line along Katella Avenue, the newspaper report said.

The $30M Disney will give to Anaheim to build affordable housing, will be paid in the next five years, with half of that amount being provided in the first year of the agreement. According to city officials, Disney’s commitment is the largest corporate contribution for affordable housing in Anaheim, the report said.

City officials indicated that Disney’s donation may be augmented with city funds and used to help Anaheim compete for housing grants. Last year, Finamore Place, a $61M, 102-unit affordable housing complex in the resort district, included a contribution from Disney.

A 17K-space parking garage and five new pedestrian bridges also are planned as part of the resort upgrade.

Disney’s plans for the resort expansion will involve more integrated, immersive experiences at Disneyland similar to other theme parks the company has developed around the world, including Frozen and Zootopia.

Disney recently announced plans to develop its second Storyliving by Disney master-planned community in Chatham County, NC, in proximity to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC.

The plans for what will be known as Asteria, jointly developed by Walt Disney Imagineering and Scottsdale, AZ-based DMB development, encompass more than 4,000 residential units including single-family homes and multifamily units.

The 1,500-acre community will include homes specifically designated for active adults in the 55+ category. Sales of units are expected to begin in 2027. The Asteria community will be part of the larger Chatham Park master-planned community by Preston Development Corp.