South Florida Water Administration District has given Walt Disney World the ultimate inexperienced mild 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 huge. 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 Massive Thunder mission is far more formidable and impactful to stormwater displacement (SFWMD’s major concern) than the counterpart Tropical Americas mission, which is largely 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 Massive Thunder and Haunted Mansion.
Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Automobiles space will truly substitute the Rivers of America, that means that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat will completely shut. This information let plenty 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 Massive Thunder.
Inside days of the D23 announcement, Walt Disney World filed permits with the SFWMD regarding 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 Further Info (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.
If you happen to’re actually inquisitive about all of this, head to the SFWMD ePermitting web page and enter “407 Basin Stormwater Modifications” because the mission title 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 varied tasks since ~2017, the bigger scale and scope of this proposal is straight away apparent, as is SFWMD’s higher scrutiny of it. Since we’ve been overlaying Walt Disney World, that is the most important 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 accepted 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 one more RAI.
Whereas this isn’t the ultimate allow within the Villains and Automobiles Lands tasks as an entire (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 largely 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 can be derailed needs to be gone.
When it comes to what’s subsequent, lot and plenty of dust shifting. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, requiring further work to ascertain the aforementioned gravel laydown yards. These are a crucial prerequisite to demolishing and filling within the Rivers of America.
There will likely be three gravel laydown yards in whole across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two will likely be positioned past the berm, that means outdoors of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard that needs to be seen from inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards will likely be used for building gear, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and many others.
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 includes 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 will likely 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 improvement, together with a portion of Villains Land. The water administration permits are step one forward of starting substantive building resulting from waterways being rerouted and displaced.
As mentioned in our newest version of Walt Disney World’s 5-Yr Building Plan, the positioning prepwork alone for Automobiles Land and Villains Land will likely be a herculean endeavor that can take many months–if no more than a 12 months. Followers will bemoan the prolonged timeline, however Automobiles Land debuting in 2029 truly appears pretty aggressive given the size and scope of labor. I’d be stunned if we see something go vertical till 2026 on the earliest.
If current building bid postings are to be believed, this dust shifting ought to begin very, very quickly.
We reported over the weekend that Villains Land Building is Rumored to Begin Quickly at Magic Kingdom. Based on that, work will begin on this mission March 1, 2025. The development bidding platform lists an estimated funds of $25 to $50 million. This could 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 kind of tasks 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 properly for Automobiles and Villains Land shifting ahead on an aggressive schedule, with building beginning quickly.
As you’re doubtless conscious, Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America don’t have any cut-off date at current. Walt Disney World has solely indicated that “company may have loads of time to expertise the appeal and nostalgia of Frontierland as it’s at present” earlier than building kicks into excessive gear.
Nonetheless, 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 12 months to expertise DINOSAUR, Walt Disney World made no such assurances in regards to 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 typical 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 Summer season 2025 earlier than closing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.
Disney Starlight Parade goes to be vastly widespread upon debut and can want ample viewing house throughout its opening summer time alongside the promenade in Frontierland. Building partitions up on one aspect of the walkway would cut back viewing capability.
Beginning the mission shortly after Labor Day 2025 can be attainable. That offers Walt Disney World all summer time with the Rivers of America working as regular, which may be crucial at a time when lots will likely be down in Magic Kingdom. Park operations could not need much more offline–particularly if that features decreased parade viewing choices or cuts into crowd move (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 an honest quantity of backstage prep and web site work that might be undertaken to ascertain the laydown yards even earlier than the waterway is drained. It’s additionally attainable that Disney may 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 couple of years in the past.)
They’ve achieved one of these factor earlier than–and it may lengthen the period of time followers need to say goodbye to those areas whereas additionally lowering visible blight till it’s completely crucial. In such a situation, the Liberty Sq. Riverboat can be first to shut, and that may in all probability occur earlier than the second half of 2025. On the very least, Walt Disney World will wish to get shifting on the again half of the Rivers of America whereas Massive 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 chance, the guest-facing areas are in all probability secure by a minimum of Easter 2025. It’s exhausting to think about something needing to occur earlier than then, and Walt Disney World will wish to supply company time to plan correct farewell visits. Even Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3D and PizzeRizzo are staying open by June 7, 2025–that announcement was made earlier and for a mission that’s broadly anticipated to debut a lot sooner (albeit a easier one, too).
I’d take {that a} step additional and predict that you simply in all probability have till August 2025 to say goodbye to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. There looks like an honest chance that Disney does as a lot backstage work as attainable first, and this serene surroundings and entry are preserved for nearly your complete 12 months–perhaps into early 2026. I wouldn’t guess the farm on that and I’d plan a goodbye journey properly earlier than then if seeing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island have been a must-do, however my suspicion is that we have now extra time to take pleasure in 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 need to endure a repeat of the Big EPCOT Dust 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 while you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
