Join Hey Brickey for a Garden Walk and Talk discussing the future of a property near Disneyland, California, and how it ties into the Disneyland Forward expansion plans and the potential expansion of the Disney parks. We’ll discuss Disney park design and future plans, as Brickey talks Disney about the possibilities.
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Friends, what do you say? Let’s do a garden walk and talk and speak realistically about the future of this property and how it pertains to the future of Disneyland and more specifically Disneyland forward. Let’s just take a little walk, look at some observations, and get going. And I’m not going to waste your time. I’m here to build a case. Starting off right here, JW Marriott. It’s luxury suites. just happened to focus and look right into a Disney parking lot. Do we think that is a odd twist of fate? No. That is a plan. People know what’s coming next. People are prepared for what’s coming next. And this mall, I know everybody’s like Disney should have bought it when they had the chance, but they will have the chance again when the time is right, when they need it. Because nothing against this place, it’s wellkept. It looks fun and exciting, but it’s dead. And you know the problem with dead malls are they don’t come back because there’s something interesting about people. They want to go where they want to go and they don’t care about anything else. So when people come here, they want to spend as much time as possible in Disneyland. So even though this could be the coolest mall in the world, they didn’t come for this mall. They came for Disney. So, it’s set up to fail just from that out of the gate. As well, local folks don’t really want to come to a bizarre mall with kind of touristy prices, but also stores that don’t really make sense. And if you’re not a full-fledged Disney top tier magic key holder, parking’s not free or cheap. So, if you’re going to come down here, you’re probably just like the tourist. You’re going to go to Disney parks because that’s where the vibes are. You remember a couple days ago, I said I wanted to do a third quest, but I was afraid to do it. I’m going to tell you what that was. That third quest was going to be walking out of the park and walking through here at like midnight. And ultimately, I decided I don’t think that’s very smart, especially not with the amount of camera equipment I have on me. Like at any time I’m carrying over five grand worth of equipment. Probably not smart because this place is a dead zone even on peak shopping public moments. Could you imagine walking through here with your family at the end of the night? I can’t. It is 2:16 on a Friday afternoon in the month of September. Disneyland is slammed with people and this place is literally a ghost town. And the sad part is it’s really cool. There’s lots of cool unique vendors here. It’s got a nice open air layout. It’s multilevel. Like if this thing was buzzing, it would be phenomenal. But the people have voted. They’re not interested. And once people make that decision, I don’t know that you ever get to change their mind. Right guys? Yes. Beware. My theory for a long time has been this is metaphorically the bridge from Disneyland’s past to its future. Because if they do indeed build a theme park, a Toy Story parking lot like I’ve been predicting and they’re going to build that ginormous parking garage on the other side. This metaphorically becomes a bridge that brings the two pieces together. not Santa building a bridge. I’m using a metaphor. And for anyone who would say, “Well, what if Disney just bought that and made that, you know, the Downtown Disney?” Why would you do that? Why would anybody want to be investing more into retail when retail is clearly suffering and it’s dead? Why do that when this could make that theme park truly truly massive? From when the time that you get out of the parking garage and you come through the grand entryway to where you get to the backside of it for the major reveal, this could be a massive theme park. One that would rival the size of Disneyland. And if that were to happen, then all of this becomes active, full of life. More people showing up in Anaheim, more people spending in Anaheim, Anaheim getting more tax base, more hotel visitors. It all trickles down and around, making this a stronger investment for the city. So, I don’t see them ever getting in the way of this plan. And I know a lot of people say, “Well, why didn’t they do it when they had the chance?” But they weren’t ready to buy it, so it wasn’t the right time. And I know I’ve said this several times, people always push back and go, “I can’t believe they didn’t buy it when they had the opportunity.” They weren’t ready for it. And let’s break down real quick what happens if Disney buys something that they’re not ready for. That would mean that Disney would be responsible for the maintenance, the upkeep, the insurance, the legality of this place. Like, they would be holding on to it. That would get leaked in the media. So, if anything bad happened here, it’d be like, “Oh, bad thing happened on a Disney property or Disney’s not taking care of their property.” Anything they touch needs to turn to gold or it’s considered to be a complete and total disaster. So, therefore, they said, “Can’t touch this. Can’t touch this.” And I agree with that. Yeah, the purchase price might cost them an extra hundred million when they’re ready to buy it, but wouldn’t you honestly say that owning this for a decade, two decades, three decades, putting all the infrastructure into it and dealing with the headaches, don’t you think they would have probably spent more than $100 million doing all of that? I think so. I think the sweet deal was to wait. Big part of business is knowing how to wait. waiting for your moment, waiting for your time. And if they were to jump on this, that would only increase the speculation of what’s coming next. And that would also complicate things. Disney knows what their long plan is. They’re flirting with everybody in the public’s perception. That concept art for what they’re going to do in the parking lot for Disneyland Ford, it’s just a tease. It’s just like a coming soon. We’re going to do something here. But I’ll give you every nickel that I have. that is not what’s getting built in that land. And if they do do that, then they need to give me every nickel that they have because they’ve lost their minds and they officially need me to run the company. Look, I love malls. I was born in the 70s. My informative years were the 80s and 90s. Those were prime mall years. There were movies about malls, TV shows about malls. Malls were culture. And I loved that culture. I was always Well, let me rephrase that. Until I met Beth, I couldn’t say that I was the world’s greatest boyfriend. I was a guy in a band. I was a bit of a rambling man. But the one good quality I always had as a boyfriend. What? You wanted to go to the mall? You want to shop? Let’s go, baby. And I’ll get into it with you. Oh, yeah. I like those pants. The other pants though, I worked at the Gap. I know how to speak the language of telling a lady how something fits without insulting my lady. I love shopping. This ain’t it. And it’s a damn shame because on paper it makes so much sense. Put a mall around all these hotels where all these visitors are coming and going and they’ll want to go to the mall. They’ll want more things to do. But the problem is it doesn’t have the Disney brand or name attached to it. Disney Springs, this is not. And that has a huge consequence on how people decide to spend that travel day or that day without a park admission. This is not a Disney Springs type area, nor should it be a Disney Springs area because that’s going to be called OC Vibe. The city itself must know, like I know, I mean, they probably officially know. I just think that I know everything. The city must know though that Disney is going theme park. The city would not invest in a massive shopping center if they knew that they were years away from having Disney as their main competitor. Because that Disney brand, that legacy of a 100 years, it will crush everything around it. That’s just the way that it’s going to be. Unless some another theme park and the city of Anaheim has a worldclass concert venue to bring in bands that have huge fans, things like WWE, different traveling events, as well as the Ducks and all of their opponents. Anaheim is one of the best markets for hockey fans to come see their team play. When fans decide, let’s go see a road game, they pick here. Same with the Angels. And the Angels are probably most likely getting a new stadium some point. Nobody likes the owner. That’s a whole other conversation. But OC Vibe will have massive anchors to bring in people. But that other massive anchor is going to be Disney. Because when you can easily get on a gondola from the original two parks or the third park or the parking garage or your hotel and you can go across the five without having to pay for any transportation and show up at the mall, you’re going to do it. And people that are over there that are going to a concert are definitely going to come over here to hit the parks. It’s going to make a unified Anaheim. I can taste it. It’s in the air. And sure, city plans aren’t things that always happen. They don’t always come true. There’s lots of bureaucracy. There’s lots of And there’s lots of people that lack vision. There’s been so many of these plans that haven’t happened. So, there’s a strong chance that it won’t. But, I think if we hold on to the optimism that it could happen and we have a community that celebrates its potential, people are watching this channel. People are paying attention to me and they are paying attention to you and what we’re talking about over here. And I think that little spark of public interest and city of Anaheim seeing Disney people are paying attention to their Anaheim projects. I think that’s going to get a little kick in the funding that what they build over there won’t become what happened here. And look, I’m not done covering Garden Walk. I’m going to write it down to the end because I do find this place to be absolutely fascinating and it has some really really interesting tenants and some of those I want to reach out to and see. Would it be possible to maybe do a feature or a breakdown on your business and let all the Disney people know what exists right across from their hotel or the theme parks? Like I do see value in this, but I also have been around long enough in the world of retail, commerce, and business to understand some ideas just don’t work. Because retail, shopping, spending money, if it’s anything, it’s psychological. And sometimes, even when you’re upside down in your finances, you need to spend money to feel good about yourself. And sometimes when you’re not upside down and you have money to spend, there’s just an emotion that comes along with it. If a place doesn’t excite you, if a place feels dead, you’re not going to go there. This mall has been bit by that bug. It just has that death warrant signed to it and you can just smell it in the air. But I do believe in trying to give this place a fair shot and to give it its coverage and to have this be a part of the story that we’re telling because it is a part of Anaheim and it is tethered into everything. And who knows, maybe I’m wrong, but I do feel like the only way this properly works is with a major mental shift because right now it’s stuck in that dead zone. but a refresh, a rebrand, or possibly becoming part of a much larger project. Like guys, if this is just a massive thoroughfare of shopping and attractions and different things that take us to the holy grail, which is across the street, which is a huge Disney park, I mean, this would be the ultimate Main Street USA or Bonav Vista Street because it’s so wide. There’s spaces where you could actually have an entryway, a thoroughfare into a park that could have all kinds of different attractions on each side of you. Or maybe they just take the front part and make that the entryway. And now we’re already working through lands. There’s a lot of space here. And when you think about a landbridgeidge that takes us to the other side with at one point a skyway going through the middle of it. Woo! I’m fired up, baby. I’m fired up. Let’s go. So, if you want to be a naysayer, be one. That’s fine. But you’re not going to ruin my buzz of excitement because I believe in this plan. I can see the steps of it happening. And so, I’m following it from every single direction because it’s going to be a fun thing to get into. And maybe it’ll lead to all of this coming true or maybe it’ll lead to heartache. Either way, it’s going to lead to a good story. But I can just feel it in my bones that this is going to happen. I just know it. Or I know I’ll have fun trying to follow it till something else happens. Another thing that lines all this up perfectly is that the parking garage here is designed to have time share units built on top of it. So all of this is already DVC ready. I mean, not that Disney couldn’t get the the zoning to put in more hotels in in Anaheim, but it’s just one of those fun facts where it’s like it’s right there. If you’ll please forgive me, I need to go get a Starbucks and I need to get out of the sun. All right, this Starbucks over here I’m going to go to, but it is the most expensive Starbucks in Anaheim. It’s like airport pricing. Has an absolutely beautiful deck that I never see get used. Fly free, little bird. Fly free. $7. No, 750. Beautiful table though. So, what’s up? You gonna book that theme park view? Cuz I believe that’s what this will become. It was designed to be that. They knew what they were doing. So, look, I don’t want to fight if it’s going to happen. If it’s not going to happen, I just want to celebrate the idea that it could happen. Get lost in the magic. do a little what if and make this part of the regular beat because if we start breaking down what’s happening here and all the moving pieces, it might become more clear what the future could be. I don’t know. I just was on top the roof of the candy cane in and another nice business in the city of Anaheim reached out to me and said, “Man, we really like what you’re doing. We want to try to make it easier for you. I have a even bigger one of those on the horizon where I might be working with a really big project that’s happening here. I’m just excited, man. There’s something happening in the air and I’m just excited that we are seemingly to some degree or another going to be a part of it. It’s been a lot, but today has been another amazing day. And kind of the best parts of this day happened outside of the park because I’m starting to realize that the city of Anaheim is making moves and they’ve noticed that we’re documenting and celebrating those moves and they’re bringing us on board and that makes me so excited because I just want to be a part of this. I want to be the one that documents it. I wanted to be the one that tells it and I want for my optimism to let you know that it’s okay to be excited and you should start dreaming along with me that all of this is going to change your next trip when you come back home to Disneyland. Thank you for watching. I appreciate you. Hopefully I’m right about like a small fraction of this cuz not I’m going to look like a serious idiot but an idiot that had a good time nonetheless. I am like right in this tree too. Thank you so much for watching.
48 Comments
Ive said this before and ill say it again. Disney was ready to expand its resort decades ago with Downtown Disneyland and DCA, but the land owner who owned a farm wasn't ready to sell. Once he sold, voila, parking structure, DCA and Downtown Disney came to fruition. So yeah, why buy something when you aren't ready.
Look how WDW land prices soared once the public found out they were the ones buying up the land.
AMCā¦ our typical trip to Disneyland from out of stateā¦ itās a DL sandwich.. weekend flight and chill out..5 days in the parksā¦ then weekend chill (and flight back)
Weāve only visited AMC once, but it is a good downtime chill activity.. plus if you are getting your sleeps at the Anaheim or castle inn orā¦ whateverā¦ garden walk is close by.so I like garden walk for the vibe there.. for the theaterā¦ but my chill hours outside of the park are mostly used in downtown Disney.. sorry garden walk..
I were to bet I would say there is at least a hand shake agreement with GW that if they were ever to sell to at least approach Disney first, as it is a large piece of ground that would connect 2 Disney parcels.
Just here to say it's really cool to see the jump in views your main channel is getting. It seems like YouTube can be a frustrating thing when you're at the mercy of the algorithm so it's got to be rewarding to see the consistency paying off
14:35 Disney did get the zoning for more hotel rooms. The most updated versions of the Disneyland Development Plan and the Anaheim Development Plan include 5,200 hotel rooms. They're going to be right in the space you keep saying could be a third gate. Chances are, the 1,800 rooms in the Disneyland Development Plan area are going to be another DVC resort. I'm hoping that the other 3,400 rooms will be value resort rooms, because that's what the concept art looks like. Well, that or a Saratoga Springs style resort, but with, say, Pacific Northwest theming.
Then again, it's 28 acres between them. If it's a third gate with attached hotels, Disney buying and improving Garden Walk could be a sensible next step.
OC vibes are spreading from Katella and Harbor!
I agree with you that the Garden Walk is part of the future. Great way to explain what is going on.
Appreciate you Brickey – I see the vision as well and really hope you're spot on with this.
When GardenWalk does go up for sale next time and Disney does purchase it, will the mall/garage be demolished?
Great breakdown……..it Too can smell/see it coming true. All the pieces are set, it just needs a little nudge and……..BOOM!!! This is really exciting.
Great perspective! Garden Walk has been odd from the beginning. Initial concept art showed lush green spaces and, well, gardens. Not the concrete jungle that is there now. I would LOVE to see the land be brought into the Disney security bubble as theme park or entry plaza space. Dream big, Anaheim! Nowās the chance!
99% of the stores still open at that mall are laundering money.
It wouldnāt be a disaster if they level the empty mall and keep it a a dirt lot. They could have it reappraised for a much smaller amount once itās an empty lot again.
AMC, HOB, and Ridemakerz. All the outcasts of DTD.
6:40 If they do do that, they'd doo doo that.
While itāll suck to lose House Of Blues again, GardenWalk was already dead in 2017 when I stopped there on the way home from WonderCon. Great times are ahead!
Gardenwalk+Toystory is actually larger then Disneyland slightly, tho there might be limitations with existing neighbors on actual buildable space, also possibly growable if they can get Anaheim to relocate FD house 3. Gardenwalk was not part of Disneyforward rezoning, so they might have to get that done, but I doubt they'd run into any resistance on that as it's surrounded by bussinesses and hotels that draw from Disney guests and isn't backing into housing like toy story lot does. Marriott has an existing relationship at WDW where they own and or operate 3 hotels that get on-property disney benefits, so the JW can stay and probably just get a slightly more Disney tied-in retheme. The length of garden walk is similar to Main Street USA, I also wonder if with how that combined lot is neighbored if they kind of do an swicharoo of a Main Street USA and have the park icon right at the entrance, and then they could do night time shows on the north end away from the housing neighbors, tho I suspect a third park would get a drone show, to differentiate from Fireworks/World of Color.
The few times I have been in Gardenwalk it has always been very quiet. Disney will absolutely be able to buy this at some time. When the purchase happens, we will no that wheels are turning to begin development. They will buy it before it becomes valuable and critical for Disney.
I love that you just walked through the Photo Booth instead of around it š Great breakdown and fully makes sense but itās mind boggling that something that cost almost $300 million to build less than 20 years ago could just disappear one day, but that is just the scale of Disney projects I suppose.
My dream scenario is that Disney, the city of Anaheim, and Arte Moreno work out a deal where the Toy Story lot becomes the new Angels stadium, and the current Angels stadium land goes to Disney for its third park.
The current stadium land is nearly double the size of the TS lot allowing for a larger theme park with room for hotels. A baseball stadium in the resort district would be like many other baseball stadiums that are located within their top tourist zones. The Anaheim Skyliner (if built) will connect all these destinations regardless.
I know this won't happen but I think it would be amazing.
Iāve too heard around Disney isnāt the best place. š Surprising because whenever I see it, it looks just quite. But you knowā¦ i wouldnāt stay in that area. :ā) itās LA, after all and LA is amazing but you know. Still wanna go back. We love LA. ā¤ āļø
Haha loved the ending. Get excited, get dreaming. On lifeā¦ every day! Thatās what itās about. Yesssss!! Haha. šš»
I will say that Fire and Ice comes in clutch and I do wish that Disneyland had a luxury movie theater Iād definitely would go
Idk i think the Olympics is great motivation for something big to happen
The restaurants are convenient on non park days. Ate there after the half marathon when my legs couldn't get me to Disney Springs
Love your perspective, Brickey. Makes a lot of sense. I hope that it comes to pass. Would be awesome!
F disney F em
It only gets busy when thereās a concert at The House Of Blues in Anaheim.
Yikes! After Disneyās move last night, I donāt know when Iāll be back. š¢
Another great video. As you mentioned, a lot of that land is zoned for hotel & timeshare. Do you think they would create an entrance to 3rd gate that is wrapped with themed hotel space like Disneyland Paris? Based on your video and looking at their past to predict the future, that's my guess.
Becoming Motel 6
OC Vibe – Iāve noticed in the renderings that the Santa Ana river bed is full of water. I was curious and did some research, this is what the city plans to do to create a natural body of water. Anaheim's OC River Walk project plans to use inflatable dams to create a permanent body of water in the Santa Ana riverbed. The dams are designed to be deflated during storms to prevent interference with the river's natural flood control function.
How the system will work
Inflatable rubber dams: The city will install several inflatable rubber dams in the Santa Ana River between Orangewood Avenue and the Anaheim Coves area. These dams will be inflated to create two waterfront areas during dry seasons, capturing water for recreational use.
Source of water: The Orange County Water District (OCWD) will supply water to fill the riverbed behind the dams.
In winter, water will be released from the Prado Dam, located upstream.
In summer, the water will come from OCWD's Groundwater Replenishment System, which produces highly purified recycled water.
Maintaining flood control: The dams are designed to deflate when heavy rains and high flows are anticipated. This allows the riverbed to function as a flood control channel, maintaining its natural flow capacity when it is needed most.
Environmental benefits: In addition to creating a new waterfront, the captured water will percolate into the ground, helping to recharge the local groundwater basin. The project also includes enhancements like new vegetation, which will help create a healthier river corridor.
Thanks AI š
I feel like itās gonna be a big resort
As someone who has a hard time with changes to Disneyland, the thing I appreciate the most about this channel is that it challenges the discomfort I have with that change, in order to see a possible and exciting future. So, while I might not always like your ideas, I value your perspective because it pushes me to see beyond my own. (The one thing I will not give in on is a new Angel's stadium. Gonna fight that one to the end.)
I love how excited you about this potential future. Your argument makes sense. Iām looking forward to the journey.
See what I did there? Forward..
Love your vision! And enthusiasm
I think it's a huge fail that the pedestrian walk-though is oriented so that none of the Disneyland fireworks are visible; the buildings block them. But you can hear them!
2 parks, one downtown Disney is a good ratio, already heavy on the shopping considering all of the shops and restaurants inside the parks.
So is the JW Marriott going to become a Disneyland Resort Hotel like Pixar Pier is?
Another great episode!
As an out-of-state park-goer, I honestly didn't even notice this was here (even last year when we had keys and visited 5x). I love all the murals and the idea of highlighting some of the local businesses here. I noticed there is a game store, Meeples Family, and I'm excited to stop by (as an avid gaming family in addition to Disney) next month! I'm sure you're right about the future, which is super exciting, but I hope these local spaces get some new life in the meantime.
Do you think they are going to keep Garden Walk as a Downtown Disney 2.0, or are they going to use it as expansion space for park #3?
Candy cane inn is a wonderful place to stay. Love it!
I do have my Anaheim WorldMark Timeshare kitty corner to the Garden Walk. Could my Timeshare jump up in value? With the announcement of a DVC project at the future former Garden Walk shopping mall.
Have you even looked into how long house of blues has their lease. I wonder if that might give you the timeline of when garden walk will be taken over by Disney
Hey Bricky I know youāre not likely to see this but the art you walked next to for a lot of the beginning, the Sports wearing Princesses and the half mascot paintings. Thatās an upstart business from a family friend, his name is preston. His work is amazing, if you do those specials on places I bet heās love to have you. Especially if you tell him Brady OāNeillās son sent you
Hey brickey how are you doing today
@brickeyvlog Speaking of what ifs, what if they flattened Downtown Disney and expanded the current parks into it (and the associated parking), and turned GardenWalk into the new Downtown? Like yeah, it wouldnāt be a Disney Springs, but having a shared shopping and hotel area as a central hub in between the three parks makes sense. (Always end the rides/adventures at the gift shop, right? lol)