San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
LEGOLAND TO GET SPACE-THEMED COASTER
New Lego Galaxy plans unveiled at Planning Commission meeting
A new space-themed land, complete with an indoor roller coaster, is headed to Legoland, which anticipates debuting the galactic attraction in 2025.
While the Carlsbad theme park has made no formal announcement, plans for what is being called ‘Lego Galaxy’ were unveiled last week during a meeting of the city’s Planning Commission, which recommended approval of the project. A subsequent hearing before the City Council will be required for final approval.
The planned attraction, which will require the relocation of the park’s popular Driving School and Junior Driving School to another area of Legoland, also will include what appears to be a spinner-type ride, described as three cantilever arms that “carry a counter rotating gyro element holding four gondolas at each end” that together will be able to accommodate 24 passengers.
The staff report for the project
states that the new area “will have a ‘space’ theme where park guests will train for space exploration, meet other intergalactic travelers, and blast off on missions into the Lego Galaxy!”
It further states that the Galaxy cluster of attractions will be located at the site of the existing driving school attractions, which it says will have to be removed.
However, Legoland has submitted a separate application to relocate the driving schools to another area of the park where the Funtown Fire Academy is located. Those plans entail demolishing the Fire Academy attraction and adjacent landscaping to the east, according to a letter the city of Carlsbad sent to Legoland in December. In all,
four structures would be taken down and replaced with “two small single-story structures and other site improvements to create attraction areas and pedestrian walkways,” the letter stated.
It’s unknown whether the Funtown attraction would return at some point.
“The current proposal includes moving Driving School to the Funtown Fire Academy location, but I can’t speak to whether or not Funtown Fire Academy would be brought back at a different location in the future
or not,” Legoland spokesperson Julie Estrada said Friday.
The park is not providing any additional specifics on what Estrada says is still “an initial concept.” Supporting documents for the plans that went before the Planning Commission describe a coaster where passengers are launched out “in an exploration mission into the uncharted Lego Galaxy in their own customized Lego spacecraft.”
The coaster will be housed within a single-story, 44-foot-high steel building that will incorporate a “space port” theme.
Also planned are a children’s
play area with an alien spaceship theme and a separate toddler play area.
Legoland is asking the city’s permission to increase the currently permitted maximum building height of 35 feet to 45 feet.
The park is already at work on yet another attraction debuting this year when it will mark its 25th anniversary in Carlsbad with a new land dedicated exclusively to dinosaurs. Dino Valley, which will be located near the entrance to the park, will include a dino-themed safari and river expedition tailored to kids.