Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1097882.php" target="_blank">http://www.ocregister.com/ocre gister/homepage/abox/article_1097882.php</a> >>Workers are poised to begin construction as early as next month on a long-awaited outdoor mall and hotel complex near Disneyland, now that the City Council has approved expansion plans. On Tuesday night, council members voted 5-0 to grant a request for GardenWalk to add hotels and shops to its plans, first discussed about eight years ago. "It's an asset we've been waiting for – for many years – so we can extend and expand our convention business," Councilman Richard Chavez said. GardenWalk plans to sell trendy attire at shops such as White House/Black Market and offer upscale dining options, including the Cheesecake Factory, when the first phase is set to open in October 2007. Agreements with three hotels are expected in about 30 days, said Bill Stone, a principal in Excel Realty Holdings LLC of San Diego, one of three companies in the mall. One hotel could offer indoor and outdoor water parks. <<
Originally Posted By DlandDug <-- will continue to keep an eye on the weeds and grass behind that fence...
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Workers are poised to begin construction as early as next month on a long-awaited outdoor mall and hotel complex near Disneyland, now that the City Council has approved expansion plans.>> Forget about expansion approval, phase two, whatever. They have had approval to buid there for awhile already, yes? If that's the case, what's been stopping them?
Originally Posted By TP2000 GardenWalk has had city council approval to build there since 1999. Remember the heated city council meetings where Cynthia Harriss sent in some rather thugish lawyers who demanded that the city council not approve the plan because it would compete with Downtown Disney? Disney's objections were all under the shady guise of the GardenWalk plan "not meeting the codes and aesthetic guidelines for the new Resort Area". As if the greasy spoon Denny's and crack-den motels currently in the "Resort Area" are better than some cheesy mall like GardenWalk. After about six months Disney mysteriously dropped it's opposition to the project, and the city council approved the permits and plans in 1999. I theorized back then that Disney dropped it's intense opposition rather suddenly once it did some digging and realized the developers behind the plan were incompetent and had no major tenants signed up. Seven years later, that still seems to be the case. They've had approval to build there for seven years. The developers have changed hands, the project has changed names, and they've updated the opening date sign on the construction wall at least five times. They still don't have any major tenants (hotels) signed up, and only letters of intent from most of the small stores and restaurants. And those letters of intent hinge on there actually being hotels included in the plan. Meanwhile, during the last 7 years, Garden Grove 10 blocks south has had over a half dozen new, upscale, luxury highrise hotels constructed and opened, with another half dozen trendy new restaurants built around the new hotels, all catering to the Disneyland/Convention crowds. And the big news across the border in Anaheim's "Resort Area" was when they tore down Acapulco's and built a Mimi's Cafe and remodeled the Denny's and put a new claw game in the lobby.
Originally Posted By hopemax I don't know what we'll do if this thing ever gets built. LP will be such a different place without prognostications from TP2000 and offers of free churros. It will be an end of an era.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Hoteliers and tourists have criticized the lack of quality shopping options in the resort area, now dotted with T-shirt and trinket shops, chain stores and fast-food joints." Amen to that.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I just put my reservation in for 'The Cheesecake Factory' for August 4, 2009. Party of 3.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>GardenTalk gets green light << Or does it?! <a href="http://pods.swedesforobama.com/zzzzzz.gif" target="_blank">http://pods.swedesforobama.com /zzzzzz.gif</a>
Originally Posted By oc_dean What was that about GardenTalk again??? <a href="http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~stephens/erira/2002/photos/sleeping" target="_blank">http://www.astro.princeton.edu /~stephens/erira/2002/photos/sleeping</a>%203.jpg ~
Originally Posted By TP2000 >>"LP will be such a different place without prognostications from TP2000 and offers of free churros."<< You remembered! ;-)
Originally Posted By disneywatcher If I hadn't lost so much confidence in the DisCo's ability to do much -- or to know how to do much -- with theme parks, existing or new, then I'd say that if GardenWalk continues to be a non-starter, turn the site over to the DisCo for future development.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer ^ Disney has the chance to buy it from the Price Company a few years ago, and decided to pass on the land.....
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 Which is so Bizarre, because with the current setup of the southeast corner of DCA, this gardenwalk would be the main route connecting the esplanade/DtD with the third theme park site. Even if the park isn't built for another 15 years (and I hope its not), this space is very valuable tot he Disney company. In the mean time they could put up a huge hotel, some night life area, a new parking structure, and a semitemporary waterpark. I have never understood why they passed this chance up.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 When we were driving down Katella last month, my non-LP-reading spouse, who knows nothing about Garden Walk... looked at the art on the signs.... looked at the "coming" date... looked at the weed-covered site... then looked at me and said "they'd better get started."
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> I have never understood why they passed this chance up. << Unlike a major reason DCA is DCA, I think this particular matter can be traced to money. The DisCo. apparently didn't think the intrinsic value of the land east of Harbor Blvd. justified their paying so much money for it, which must be an even stronger sentiment today in light of the underwhelming response to the expansion of 2001. It's possible that if DCA hadn't turned out to be such a dud, the DisCo -- if given the opportunity -- would be far likelier to contemplate the idea of their buying the site of the GardenWalk.
