Anaheim officials are brainstorming a significant overhaul of the city’s Disneyland Resort district, envisioned to include public art, streetscape design, water filling stations, a pocket park and playgrounds, expanded sidewalks, and pedestrian bridges. The plan, dubbed Resort 2.0, also aims to connect the resort area to the Platinum Triangle.
However, discussions at the October 13 city council meeting highlighted questions about the funding mechanisms for this proposed revamp. Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava stated that Disney should contribute to the investment, asserting it should not burden residents or hoteliers. Rubalcava remarked that the City of Anaheim has been a significant partner to the resort, noting past investments like parking structures that did not impose a financial burden on Disney. She added, "they can help with this investment as well."
In contrast, Councilwoman Kristen Maahs emphasized the importance of residents understanding how investment in the resort improves their quality of life. Maahs described the relationship as "a relationship that we all benefit from," arguing that the success of the resort translates to benefits for neighborhoods and residents. Rubalcava agreed that residents should benefit from resort investments.
Last year, Rubalcava had suggested implementing a 3% gate tax on venues like Disneyland to support the public budget, a proposal that was not approved. The city has faced financial challenges, including a budget deficit that was addressed earlier this year by using funds from a parking structure sale and drawing from reserves to achieve a balanced budget. City officials project that this deficit would consume approximately half of the $120 million in new revenue expected to be available once the 1997 Disneyland Resort expansion bonds are paid off later this year. While the current budget projects a positive financial surplus, these projections do not account for increasing labor costs or several contracts set to expire this year and next.
Recent financial decisions include the approval of 16% pay raises for police officers over the next three years, a contract costing $45 million. City Spokesman Mike Lyster indicated that this expense could potentially be drawn from the newly available revenue from the bond payoff. Additionally, on the same night, officials approved a contract worth up to $2.4 million with a consulting firm to assist in planning a public-private partnership for a transit connector between the resort area and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. City staff reported that the funding for this consultant contract is sourced from tourism tax dollars designated for marketing and improving the resort area, not from general fund dollars.
Concerns regarding the relationship between elected officials and resort interests have been raised over time, escalating with a 2022 FBI corruption probe that alleged significant influence by resort interests over city hall. Following this, the city approved a $2 billion expansion of Disneyland, which involved selling public streets. During this period, a gate tax proposal was put on hold, and a tax on rideshare services to the theme park was not pursued.
Beyond the Resort 2.0 discussions, Anaheim is also seeing other major developments. The OC River Walk Project aims to transform the Santa Ana River into recreational open space, featuring a new trail, pedestrian and bicycle bridges, and inflatable dams. Across the freeway, the Samueli family is developing the OC Vibe, a new mixed-use entertainment district adjacent to the Honda Center, which will include restaurants, hotels, parks, and a concert hall.
The future of Angel Stadium is also under discussion following news earlier this year that Angels Owner Arte Moreno was selling the team. Councilwoman Natalie Meeks recently requested a discussion on how the council will address a long-awaited stadium condition assessment report, potential stadium negotiations, the surplus land act, and the city’s priorities for the property. Meeks, who is running for reelection unopposed and received support from a political action committee partly funded by Disney, emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the Disneyland expansion and the OC Vibe developments. She stated during the October 13 meeting that such investments could help grow the city’s annual visitors from 25 million to 40 million, asserting that the effort and money would "return itself to our community tenfold, hundredfold," ultimately delivering services to residents, including fire and police departments.
