A Tale of Two Cities : Disneyland has big expansion plans, which raise big questions

Off-screen as well as on, the folks at the Walt Disney Co. have that certain touch. Recently they’ve announced two proposals for theme parks. Might Disney really build both? Whatever the answer, the announcements have come close enough together that it looks as if Disney is trying to play Long Beach off against Anaheim to see which city will win the prize.

This week Disney unveiled what had already been expected by Anaheim property owners: plans for a massive EPCOT-style center, adjacent to Disneyland, with new hotels, and futuristic transportation improvements right out of Tomorrowland. This $3-billion expansion of Disneyland, starring a second park dubbed WESTCOT Center, is at once an exciting idea and a demonstration that the founding genius behind the first of all Southern California theme parks has the shrewdness to stand by proven concepts.

Anaheim, with its plans for an indoor sports arena, and its own substantial ambition to become a transportation hub, is well-positioned because of its long association with Disneyland. But in their enthusiasm, the Anaheim city fathers ought to be thinking seriously about the impact of an estimated 13 million additional Disney visitors a year on traffic and air quality. That’s a whole lot of tailpipes. The same goes for Caltrans and various regulatory agencies.

In some ways, this proposal is a bit like a movie preview without the actual footage. The public has seen an intriguing trailer, but what’s the full story? For instance, there is as yet no environmental impact statement that can be looked at. It’s conceivable, for example, that Anaheim’s traffic congestion could be relieved instead of aggravated with the right mix of improvements around Disneyland. But differences have already surfaced over who will pay for some of the road improvements that would whisk visitors into the new park--Disney or the taxpayers.

There must be a lot more public discussion before this very promising Disney story line goes into full-fledged production.