Disneyland is gearing up for a major remake of its east-side entrance, and the first thing to go is office space. The resort plans to knock down buildings and reshape part of a cast-member parking lot to clear room for a new multi-level garage and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard. The project folds into the long-range DisneylandForward plan and will overhaul how guests enter Downtown Disney and the two parks. Disney says construction is set to start in fall 2026, with the work rolling out in phases over several years so the resort can stay open while the front door is rebuilt.
The resort is billing the project as an "all-new parking structure and transportation hub" that will sit on a portion of the Manchester cast-member parking lot and provide roughly 6,000 guest parking spaces, plus shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening and a dedicated Disney Way entrance, according to Disneyland Resort. Local coverage reports that Disney has started filing connected permits and describes the hub as the opening move in a larger redevelopment that could free up land for new attractions and entertainment around Downtown Disney. SFGATE noted the permit trail and the long-term stakes of the build.
Permit shows offices slated for demolition
A recent permit lists "DLR S Manchester Building Demolition: 70,732 sq ft" and indicates that a satellite Team Disney Anaheim East office will be torn down to clear space for the eastern garage, according to WDW News Today. The filing follows earlier construction-related permits for the project and suggests utilities on the site will be capped while the existing foundation may stay in place.
Big garage, big footprint
Permit details pulled by trade outlets describe an eight-story, roughly 3.2 million square foot "core and shell" parking structure that will include hundreds of electric vehicle chargers and room for about 6,000 cars, according to filings reported by BlogMickey. The new hub is expected to link to the parks via a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard and connect to a reworked esplanade, a layout that local reporting says could open up other parcels for future park and Downtown Disney expansion. SFGATE has framed the project as a base layer that might ultimately let Disney reuse existing parking lots for new attractions or hotels.
Timeline and what to expect
Work on what Disney has previously called the Eastern Gateway is expected to kick off in fall 2026, with construction staged so the resort can keep welcoming guests while the arrival experience is torn apart and rebuilt, according to sources tracking the permits. WDW News Today and other outlets have reported the timing and cautioned that demolition and construction staging could disrupt cast-member parking and nearby traffic patterns as the area is reconfigured. Neighbors and visitors should be ready for a multi-year stretch of construction, detours and new traffic routing around the resort.
What's next
Fox 11 Los Angeles first spotlighted the project in local coverage on Feb. 13, 2026, reporting that the resort plans to tear down office buildings next fall to make room for the garage and pedestrian bridge. FOX 11 Los Angeles highlighted the demolition timeline, while Disney's public materials and permit filings fill in the finer-grain details behind the scenes. This story will be updated as Anaheim signs off on additional permits and Disney issues construction notices to nearby residents and resort guests.
