Yesterday evening at the Anaheim Downtown Community Center (just a few miles from Disneyland Resort), the city held an informational open house meeting for the DisneylandForward project, which will go up for its potential final vote with the Anaheim City Council next week.
I arrived at the community center prior to the advertised door-opening time of 5:30 PM to find a number of Anaheim residents already setting up in front of the entrance with signs in opposition to the project as it stands. The photos below will provide a better understanding of some of the reasons why locals might be against DisneylandForward, ranging from street closures to increased noise and pollution in the area. There was also a stack of paper reams representing the 20,000-page Environmental Impact Report for the project and a petition inviting Anaheim citizens to sign in favor of “saving the streets” such as Magic Way, which faces closure to public traffic. Several signs referenced the recent corruption scandal surrounding Angel Stadium and ex-mayor Harry Sidhu.
I should note here that the doors did not actually open until closer to 6:00 (which is when the meeting was indeed scheduled to start), but once they did attendees were invited in and two DisneylandForward fact sheets were handed out to anyone who wanted them.
The basic idea of this open house was for interested parties to explore the various departments involved with the project, such as Traffic & Roads, Environmental, and Public Safety, the latter of which had representatives from the fire and police departments that would both see an increased presence at Disneyland Resort should the expansion go through. Each department had its own table, informational signage, and spokespeople for attendees to interact with should they have any questions. There was also a table with some snacks and water provided for those in attendance.
The DisneylandForward project will be voted on by the Anaheim City Council this coming Tuesday, April 16th. Be sure to check back right here at LaughingPlace.com for further updates.
For additional information on DisneylandForward, be sure to visit the project’s official website.