Originally Posted By oc_dean >>The KaVo Kerr dentistry business have a school-type facility on S. Manchester that backs on to that property. AFAIK they own the property (and have done for at least ten years), recently refurbished it entirely (last 5 years) and they have no intention of selling. << Interesting. I use to work there ... but when it was Odetics in the 80s. So I know that parking lot in the back ... as it's part of the whole complex. Makes me think how companies move in and out of facilities all the time. I thought they'd never let that facility go. It has it's own olympic size pool, and large gymnasium I used all the time. Modern inside and out. Big money making Electronics business in the 80s and 90s. Must have sold off in the late 90s/early '00s. And then picked up by this Dentistry school. As for 'not intending to sell' .. well, I guess that is contingent on how well this school does. Businesses fold, downsize, upsize. Or merge with another company, change address (as my old company did) all the time. So my hunch is this .... What use to be the towering Grand Hotel ... is now a lot owned by Disney and serves as the Pumbah parking lot. Disney buys the Carousel Inn ... now .. my old company site now serves as the connecting point between these two pieces of an "interesting" puzzle I see going on here. Disney needs to improve their infrastructure ... they need to expand their parking needs into the future .... and I see the Pumbah parking lot eventually transforming into another huge parking structure (aka) Disney's second "Mickey and Friends" Parking Structure .... with a long bridge spanning from the huge future parking structure .... going right over Harbor Blvd ... with pedestrians delivered right onto the eastern side of the Esplanade. Maybe not buy out the dentistry school, but buy a section of the parking lot behind ... create a corridor from Pumbah, heading north, turn left (Carousel Inn) ... and straight onto Esplanade.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh If the hotel to the south of the Carousel was purchased at some point, the old Carousel property could become shops and restaurants and a walkway could be on the south side of it.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "If the hotel to the south of the Carousel was purchased at some point, the old Carousel property could become shops and restaurants and a walkway could be on the south side of it. Sort of a Downtown Disney "east".
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Even if they did a pedestrian bridge with 'only' the Carousel Inn parcel, I could definitely see them adding some retail along there. Nothing major like DTD, but a few small shops with generic WOD-type merchandise for one last chance to take people's money. The parcel is wide enough for a parking lot and motel rooms, so I think it's plenty wide for a walking concourse and a strip of retail along one side (sort of like an airport terminal), possibly with some planters added in to break up the monotony
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>see the Pumbah parking lot eventually transforming into another huge parking structure (aka) Disney's second "Mickey and Friends" Parking Structure .... with a long bridge spanning from the huge future parking structure .... going right over Harbor Blvd ... with pedestrians delivered right onto the eastern side of the Esplanade. Maybe not buy out the dentistry school, but buy a section of the parking lot behind ... <<< oc_dean is correct. The reasons why Carousel was bought is because they have the *option* in the future to raze the Carousel and make a pathway from the office park/Pumba to Disneyland, but mind you this would be a castmember pathway, not for guests. The Carousel is directly across from where the ambulances and other backstage vehicles go in and out of Disneyland, there is a small social media concern involved with filming into/around this area of the park, though I don't think it is a big deal. The McDonald's is opposite this entrance, but the Carousel has some height and you can peer down inside the property a bit more. Really though, it's about castmember parking and building a pedestrian pathway. As of now, the castmembers cross Harbor with guests across from the IHOP. It's not a perfect world when guests are mingly with castmembers coming on/off duty, something about destroying the illusion of the magic . . .
Originally Posted By monorailblue Yes. They paid $32 million to eventually build a CM-only street crossing. Makes perfect sense, given the complete contempt with which CM parking issues have been dealt since DCA construction began. Disney is SUPER interested in having CMs not just use a crosswalk. If my eyes roll more this morning, I might need surgery.
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>Yes. They paid $32 million to eventually build a CM-only street crossing. Makes perfect sense, given the complete contempt with which CM parking issues have been dealt since DCA construction began. Disney is SUPER interested in having CMs not just use a crosswalk. If my eyes roll more this morning, I might need surgery.<<< Technically, they could just teardown the wall behind the Carousel Inn, but they'd have legal/practical issues with castmembers walking around the cars and stuff. If they add parking spaces in this area, then yes, having a castmember walkway to the backstage entrance is the way to go. I.e. if they bought some of the office park and demolished/and/or built up.
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>Makes perfect sense, given the complete contempt with which CM parking issues have been dealt since DCA construction began. Disney is SUPER interested in having CMs not just use a crosswalk.<<< Building a CM parking garage on Pumba, or tearing down the office park and expanding Pumba would be a heck of a lot closer to DL than the current situation, plus it would help during super busy days when DLR needs more spaces. IMO, it is a mis-characterization to say that Disney has "complete contempt" for the parking problem. If anything, the purchase of Carousel will help with issues longterm. And if they tear down the Carousel, don't think that the land will be used only for a tree lined CM-walkway, they'll probably put a row of parking spots on one side or the other with it's own access to Harbor, with easy access to DL's backstage.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 MB is correct. There is simply no way Disney would spend that much money just for a castmember walkway, especially considering how "whatever" they've been for years about how castmembers get from parking to the parks. In fact, of all the possible uses for that property that someone could dream up because he wants to pretend he's some sort of "insider" that knows - well, anything - , "castmember walkway" would have to be near the top of the least plausible list.
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 *I'd add that that would a couple dozen parking spots for upper management, not guests, ;-)
Originally Posted By leemac <<*I'd add that that would a couple dozen parking spots for upper management, not guests, ;-)>> Why would "upper management" park on Harbor when they can park in the reserved spots in the structure and surface lot adjacent to TDA? It is mere steps from there into TDA. I park there all the time. I'd be pissed beyond belief if I had a meeting at TDA and had to park anywhere other than backstage. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.> Again. Boy howdy.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I automatically scroll past PP1313's posts. I can usually get the gist of it by reading the comments immediately following his. lol
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Me too Hans, lol. Something I've always been curious about. Given how much of a chore and time consuming it seems to be for CMs to park/get to the park, I wonder if that time spent commuting is totally their own free time? Like if they start work at 10am, do they have to allow all that time before and after their actual shift just to park/be transported to the park, and then actually get to their area? That seems dismal.
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>MB is correct. There is simply no way Disney would spend that much money just for a castmember walkway, especially considering how "whatever" they've been for years about how castmembers get from parking to the parks. <<< Uh, there really isn't direct access to land north of Pumba or Pumba. Disney doesn't do everything at once, or on a schedule that is the most accelerated. >>>Why would "upper management" park on Harbor when they can park in the reserved spots in the structure and surface lot adjacent to TDA? It is mere steps from there into TDA. I park there all the time. I'd be pissed beyond belief if I had a meeting at TDA and had to park anywhere other than backstage.<<< I doubt that Leemac(aka WDW74, aka Jim Hill) works at DLR. Top brass use whatever lots are convenient for whatever they're going to, such as special events/ceremonies in the park. Having a VIP lot right next to the esplanade would be good for VIP guests who mostly certainl don't park in the TDA garage. Also, it is close to the eastside of Main Street where they setup food/drinks in the backstage on ocassion for VIPs/top brass. Beyond that there are probably a handful of management folks who would really like the option of parking at the TDA garage, OR parking closer to the esplanade/DCA, depending on what they're doing in a given day. West side managers would like it, no doubt.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Wow. Now leemac is really WDW74 who is really Jim Hill. The asylum just called. They want their patient back.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 >>>MB is correct. There is simply no way Disney would spend that much money just for a castmember walkway, especially considering how "whatever" they've been for years about how castmembers get from parking to the parks. <<< <Uh, there really isn't direct access to land north of Pumba or Pumba. Disney doesn't do everything at once, or on a schedule that is the most accelerated. > Which is completely beside the point people are making. Oh, why bother. No one takes you seriously. But you might want to consider setting aside the shovel when you dig yourself a hole THIS deep.
Originally Posted By doombuggy "As of now, the castmembers cross Harbor with guests across from the IHOP" Do you even know why? Because some take the bus to and from work and they get perks for using mass transit. They don't have to they chose to, you really have no clue.
