Disney World Will get Allow Approval to Change Rivers of America with Villains & Automobiles Land


South Florida Water Administration District has given Walt Disney World the ultimate inexperienced gentle on its allow for the demolition of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom, laying the groundwork to switch the house with Villains & Automobiles Lands. This particulars the multi-month saga culminating on this approval, together with what this might imply for cut-off dates and building.

The allow was issued by the South Florida Water Administration District (SFWMD) on February 17, 2025, and expires in 5 years if not in any other case prolonged. This implies Imagineering has till February 17, 2030 to redevelop the world and make modifications to present utilities, pavement upgrades, updates to the drainage system, facility renovations, stormwater administration enhancements, and far more.

The realm encompassed by this allow is large. It’s not simply the 14-plus acre mission web site, however a complete of 300.82 acres round Magic Kingdom space and past the park, together with 61.93 acres of wetland and floor water impacts. As we’ve talked about repeatedly, the Rivers of America/Past Large Thunder mission is far more formidable and impactful to stormwater displacement (SFWMD’s major concern) than the counterpart Tropical Americas mission, which is principally a reimagining that Disney felt was grandfathered in to present functions.

In case you’re unfamiliar with these plans to switch the Rivers of America, Walt Disney World introduced two all-new Automobiles points of interest in a reimagined space of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom throughout D23. Together with this, they formally introduced Villains Land growth at Magic Kingdom, basically behind Automobiles Land, and between/behind Large Thunder and Haunted Mansion.

Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Automobiles space will truly exchange the Rivers of America, which means that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat will completely shut. This information let a variety of the air out of the tires from Walt Disney World’s in any other case blockbuster evening, as followers had beforehand believed this was bona fide park growth Past Large Thunder.

Inside days of the D23 announcement, Walt Disney World filed permits with the SFWMD referring to stormwater displacement modifications and the creation of building laydown yards. The SFWMD allow encompassing this mission is the “407 Basin Stormwater Modifications” mission.

After Disney filed its first allow with SFWMD again in August, the district responded with an intensive Request for Extra Data (RAI) that sought modifications, clarifications and different solutions or modifications to the plan.

After getting an extension on the RAI deadline, Walt Disney World supplied an in depth packet of knowledge on December 19, 2024, which included a 23-page letter together with numerous extra pages of maps, plans, appendices, and updates to previously-filed paperwork.

In case you’re actually interested by all of this, head to the SFWMD ePermitting web page and enter “407 Basin Stormwater Modifications” because the mission identify within the search. There’s a bunch of stuff there, together with the aforementioned 23-page letter, authentic proposal and the newly-issued Particular person Environmental Useful resource Allow No. 48-111503-P.

In studying all the SFWMD correspondence on numerous initiatives since ~2017, the bigger scale and scope of this proposal is straight away apparent, as is SFWMD’s larger scrutiny of it. Since we’ve been masking Walt Disney World, that is the largest mission we’ve seen. Undoubtedly from a stormwater displacement perspective, however in all probability interval.

The underside line is that the Rivers of America alternative mission has been authorized by the SFWMD. It’s now not in allow purgatory, with Disney in a holding sample till the district points approval or hits the ball again in Disney’s courtroom with yet one more RAI.

Whereas this isn’t the ultimate allow within the Villains and Automobiles Lands initiatives as a complete (not by an extended shot), it was the one which posed the best diploma of problem and scrutiny from the state–the remainder ought to principally be rubber-stamped. This was the hurdle that mattered–the one materials obstacle to the mission. Any hope you may’ve held out that the Rivers of America alternative could be derailed must be gone.

When it comes to what’s subsequent, lot and many filth shifting. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, requiring extra work to ascertain the aforementioned gravel laydown yards. These are a obligatory prerequisite to demolishing and filling within the Rivers of America.

There can be three gravel laydown yards in whole across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two can be situated past the berm, which means outdoors of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard that must be seen from inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards can be used for building tools, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and so on.

Along with the laydown yards, Disney wants someplace for the displaced stormwater capability misplaced from infilling the Rivers of America. Such is the character of building within the swamps. This entails creating a brand new retention pond for water administration that’s roughly three-quarters of a mile to the northwest of Magic Kingdom.

Presumably, a few of this floor eliminated when digging the brand new pond can be used for filling the Rivers of America. Circle of life and all that. Between the pond and the gravel laydown yards, this could clarify why the world for the 407 Basin Stormwater Modifications mission is over 300 acres. Most of that’s past the berm.

As soon as crammed in, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will type the muse of Automobiles Land and a portion of Villains Land. The laydown yards will then themselves ultimately be used for future growth, together with a portion of Villains Land. The water administration permits are step one forward of starting substantive building on account of waterways being rerouted and displaced.

As mentioned in our newest version of Walt Disney World’s 5-Yr Development Plan, the location prepwork alone for Automobiles Land and Villains Land can be a herculean endeavor that can take many months–if no more than a yr. Followers will bemoan the prolonged timeline, however Automobiles Land debuting in 2029 truly appears pretty aggressive given the dimensions and scope of labor. I’d be shocked if we see something go vertical till 2026 on the earliest.

If current building bid postings are to be believed, this filth shifting ought to begin very, very quickly.

We reported over the weekend that Villains Land Development is Rumored to Begin Quickly at Magic Kingdom. In keeping with that, work will begin on this mission March 1, 2025. The development bidding platform lists an estimated funds of $25 to $50 million. This is able to solely cowl preliminary web site prep work, like clearing the land and infill.

What was most notable about that building bid was that Disney was getting the ball rolling on this, proactively anticipating approval from SFWMD, slightly than passively ready for it to occur earlier than making its subsequent transfer. That means that that is not going to be a type of initiatives Disney drags its toes on for months or years–even when it does take a very long time from groundbreaking to opening. Even when groundbreaking doesn’t occur on March 1, 2025, this bodes effectively for Automobiles and Villains Land shifting ahead on an aggressive schedule, with building beginning quickly.

As you’re possible conscious, Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America don’t have any deadline at current. Walt Disney World has solely indicated that “company may have loads of time to expertise the allure and nostalgia of Frontierland as it’s right now” earlier than building kicks into excessive gear.

Nevertheless, Walt Disney World made that assertion again in August and has been silent as to the Rivers of America future since. When providing a sneak peek at 2025 and letting followers know they’d have all yr to expertise DINOSAUR, Walt Disney World made no such assurances concerning the Rivers of America. In reality, they didn’t say something in any respect. At what level has “loads of time” handed?

Our guess is Easter 2025 on the earliest. That’s over 8 months for followers to say their goodbyes, which is longer than the common timeframe between reserving and touring. This isn’t to say that Rivers of America will shut then…we simply wouldn’t anticipate it any sooner than that. And it actually doesn’t come right down to giving followers one final go to. It’s extra a matter of practicality.

Magic Kingdom may attempt to get by way of Summer time 2025 earlier than closing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.

Disney Starlight Parade goes to be massively well-liked upon debut and can want ample viewing house throughout its opening summer season alongside the promenade in Frontierland. Development partitions up on one facet of the walkway would cut back viewing capability.

Beginning the mission shortly after Labor Day 2025 can be doable. That provides Walt Disney World all summer season with the Rivers of America working as regular, which is perhaps obligatory at a time when quite a bit can be down in Magic Kingdom. Park operations might not need much more offline–particularly if that features decreased parade viewing choices or cuts into crowd movement (the waterfront promenade is a crucial parade bypass).

It’s not as if partitions are going up round Rivers of America in a single day now that the SFWMD has issued the allow.

There’s presumably a good quantity of backstage prep and web site work that may very well be undertaken to ascertain the laydown yards even earlier than the waterway is drained. It’s additionally doable that Disney might set up a coffer dam to protect entry to Tom Sawyer Island and the view of the Rivers of America for the entirety of 2025. (See picture above of the final time a coffer dam was used throughout a refurbishment a number of years in the past.)

They’ve completed the sort of factor earlier than–and it might lengthen the period of time followers should say goodbye to those areas whereas additionally decreasing visible blight till it’s completely obligatory. In such a state of affairs, the Liberty Sq. Riverboat could be first to shut, and that might in all probability occur earlier than the second half of 2025. On the very least, Walt Disney World will need to get shifting on the again half of the Rivers of America whereas Large Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed for refurbishment.

Finally, it’s troublesome to foretell what is going to occur subsequent now that SFWMD has issued the allow for changing the Rivers of America. Again when this saga began, Disney introduced the plans after which instantly filed the allow. If this mission actually is as full steam forward because it sounds, perhaps Walt Disney World will make an announcement someday within the coming days or even weeks to let followers understand how a lot time they’ve left to expertise the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.

In all probability, the guest-facing areas are in all probability secure by way of no less than Easter 2025. It’s exhausting to think about something needing to occur earlier than then, and Walt Disney World will need to supply company time to plan correct farewell visits. Even Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3D and PizzeRizzo are staying open by way of June 7, 2025–that announcement was made earlier and for a mission that’s extensively anticipated to debut a lot sooner (albeit a easier one, too).

I’d take {that a} step additional and predict that you just in all probability have till August 2025 to say goodbye to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. There looks as if a good risk that Disney does as a lot backstage work as doable first, and this serene surroundings and entry are preserved for nearly the whole yr–perhaps into early 2026. I wouldn’t guess the farm on that and I’d plan a goodbye journey effectively earlier than then if seeing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island have been a must-do, however my suspicion is that we now have extra time to get pleasure from these areas.

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Your Ideas

Ideas on the SFWMD issuing a allow for the 407 Basin mission? On condition that that is going to occur regardless at this level, do you hope it’s full steam forward so we don’t should endure a repeat of the Big EPCOT Filth Pit fiasco? Excited or underwhelmed by the plan to switch Rivers of America with Automobiles land? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!

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