Major Downtown Disney redevelopment planned

Mar 12th 2013 at 8:54

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Whilst not yet official, credible sources have provided us with detail information on an upcoming Downtown Disney project that will see it expanded greatly. Disney are expected to make an announcement any time now.

Back in 2010, Disney announced that Pleasure Island would be transformed into a new area called Hyperion Warf, and should have been completed in 2013. However after closing much of the Pleasure Island area down, the plans for Hyperion Warf never even started. It became apparent that if they were going to remodel one part of Downtown Disney (originally thought to be because Pleasure Island was creating too many problems with nightclubs) that they may as well expand the project and give the rest of Downtown Disney a makeover.

Well the (unofficial) plan as of today is this. Downtown Disney will be renamed to Disney Springs, and will come complete with a backstory explaining the name. "The roots of this destination can be traced back as it evolved around the town's local spring. In this evolution, clear changes in the environment have manifested, making what we know today as [Disney Springs].". Of course, this is just a back story, but to go with it, Disney even went to the effort of creating mockup images showing the district blossoming around a spring, somewhere in the state of Florida. 

As part of the changes, Disney Springs will retain the existing West Side and The Village Marketplace areas. The area formerly known as Pleasure Island will become The Town Center. As with the entire area, each section of Disney Springs will have a back story:

West Side

The backstory for the West Side is that the West Side "was home to a fishing lodge and campsite for musical gatherings of the brave souls of pioneer Florida. The elevated train tracks would connect Disney Springs to the coast and beyond. The larger structures date from America's postwar prosperity host a variety of dining and entertainment.". 

Depicted in the concept art for West Side is an elevated railway line, not thought to be in use. It's possible that this could not only serve as a much needed shaded/undercover walkway, but also as an upper deck for adults with alcohol being served. 

The Village Marketplace

According to leaked plans, the backstory for The Village Marketplace states that "An upscale neighbourhood, now dubbed The Village Marketplace, developed to the east. The meandering streets of the original plan and the mature trees and native flowers that line them make this a truly pedestrian friendly environment, for the modern day perambulators."

Concept art shows a new bridge connecting across the marketplace area, stretching from the current LEGO Imagination Center to the Rainforest Cafe on the other side of the water.

The Town Center

The Town Center occupies the Pleasure Island/Hyperion Warf area in the middle of the current Downtown Disney layout. It's expected that it'll be expanded with new structures using land freed up from the new bus loop and a new multi-level parking structure. The backstory states that "As Disney Springs flourished, a handsome commercial district expanded to the south known today as the Town Center. Today the sophisticated shopping area rivals all local offerings but it is the comfort from it's landscape and the calming effects of its fountains and shallow pools that beckon it's guests to linger, and most importantly return.".

New Layout

Below is a leaked concept art we received of the top-down plan. We've numbered the changes on the image, highlighting what each number indicates below.

1. An overhead walkway connecting Disney Springs to the road on the other side of Buena Vista Drive. 
2. A larger bus loop at the center of Disney Springs. This should provide much easier bus transport to and from the area.
3. A new multi-level parking structure, occupying the former car park on the Marketplace side, similar to those used at Universal Studios.
4. An unknown structure next to the AMC 24 cinema on the West Side. This could be a new entrance for the AMC, or possibly an additional shop. The same area is sometimes used for airline checkins, so it could be a generic shared building for this.
5. The water around what is currently Planet Hollywood is filled in, and Planet Hollywood will likely be turned into something else.
6. A larger boat dock, likely able to accept the larger 'Friendship Boats' instead of the smaller shuttle boats used to Downtown Disney and its surrounding resorts. This could pave the way for a faster transport method to Epcot and Hollywood Studios in the future.
7. Replaces Rock 'N' Roll Beach Club & Motion, a new waterside building, usage currently unknown.
8. A new walkway between what is currently Cookes of Dublin and Portobello. This should speed up walking times through this area of the complex.
9. This is 'The Spring' and is said to be the focal point of the entire area. Will likely have a prominent water feature of some sort.
10. This is the new Town Center area. As you can see it not only covers the former Pleasure Island area, but also extends into the current parking lot. By building the multi-level parking garage, the eisting parking lots will not be needed as much. An additional mult-story parking lot could eventually end up over by the West Side area too.
11. This is the current Babycakes NYC, Pollo Camero and Bodie's All-American area. On the plans its shown as being virtually empty, so this could mean this area is going to be flattened.
12. This is the new bridge connecting the two sides of the Marketplace. This should help footfall immensely for shops far in the corner of the Marketplace, and will speed up walking times to and from Saratoga Springs.
13. A new building that sits where the old bus loop is.
14. A pedestrian bridge connecting Saratoga Springs to the Marketplace area. This will stop gusts having to walk along side the busy road junction.

 

So, as noted above, this is not yet official. Disney were due to make an official announcement some time today, however we've heard from at least two inside sources that this may now be delayed due to very poor weather in Central Florida today.

We'll post updates once we know more about the announcement.

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