City council gives a key approval for plan

Plan wouldn't expand Disney's footprint in Anaheim but would help it add rides and entertainment.

SANTA ANA >> Visitors to Disney's California parks could one day walk through the snow-covered hamlet of Arendelle from “Frozen” or the bustling, critter-filled metropolis of “Zootopia” under a park expansion plan approved by the Anaheim City Council.

Disney would spend at least $1.9 billion over the next decade to transform its 490-acre (488-hectare) campus in denselypopulated Southern California. It would be the biggest expansion of Disney's Southern California theme parks in decades, aiming to create more immersive experiences for guests.

Disney would also be required to spend tens of millions of dollars on street improvements, affordable housing and other infrastructure in the city.

The council unanimously approved the project at the end of an eighthour meeting that began Tuesday evening, the Orange County Register reported. A second council vote for final approval of Disney's plan is required in May.

The plan wouldn't expand Disney's footprint in tourism-dependent Anaheim but would help it add rides and entertainment by letting the company relocate parking to a new multi-story structure and redevelop the massive lot, as well as make other changes to how it uses its properties.