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Promising plots in parks?

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
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WARNING: This is a "get excited for nothing for the sake of enthusiasm" thread. More cynical users might want to avert their eyes or turn away.

I think most coaster enthusiasts have been in this situation: You're at a park, or looking at pictures of one, when you notice an idle piece of land tucked away in the corner. Maybe a former attraction on the site was torn down and not replaced. Maybe an old storage shed was removed. Maybe the park hasn't got around to build anything there yet. Or maybe they don't even own the land. There could be plenty of reasons why the space is not utilized.

Screw those reasons.

Let's forget the immediate concerns of economy, development plans, land ownership, and so forth. Let's instead discuss what could be done with the empty plots in our favourite parks. Which rides we would build there if the world was like RCT2/RCT3 Parkitect/Planet Coaster. It's been a good while since we had a decent wishlisting thread in here, and I think this particular topic hasn't been properly discussed in years.

Suggested discussion points:
  • Have you noticed an area in a park that is ripe for a new ride/other development? Feel free to post pictures!
    • This does include land occupied by rides that are overdue for the wrecking ball, but let's stay on the side of slight realism. No park will tear down a new, well-functioning flagship attraction to replace it with your favourite coaster.
  • What could be done with this piece of land? What coasters or rides could be built there?
    • Feel free to post drawings!
  • Why do you think the land isn't in use today? Is there any way around these restrictions?

Okay, onto examples: The ultimate example is probably Forbidden Valley at Alton Towers. Several plans for development have been listed there, including the famous cross-valley woodie, but the protected status of the area has so far prevented anything from being built. I'm not entirely sure where the new woodie is being planned, though, so it could be that Alton Towers is finally getting to utilize one of the most prominent locations inside its borders.

I'm more qualified to comment on my home park, TusenFryd. In one corner of the park sits an old Vekoma monstrosity named Loopen, as well as a 4D shooter (Nightmare) and some maintenance sheds:

If Loopen was to be retired, there would be room for a decently-sized coaster on its plot, with an out-and-back section extending below past the maintenance area, almost to the final turn of Speed Monster. In a strange coincidence, the idle plot of land would have a shape nearly identical to the shape of Norway. The small shed behind Nightmare would have to go, but there is plenty of room for a replacement elsewhere in the area. The plot would work nicely for a compact Invert, although it's probably not big enough to accomodate a thrill ride. But a family Invert is better than no Invert, I guess, and at any rate better than Loopen.

Just beyond the top of the picture (click it to go to Google Maps) is a small field, with room for practically any ride bar the largest coasters. However, the field is very close to a residential area, and I believe the park's neighbours appreciate the distance provided by the field, so I don't think TusenFryd would be able to build anything there even if they owned it.


I also received a tip about the Drachen Fire lot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I've never visited the park myself, so I'm not entirely sure where it is, but could it be here? Wikipedia claims its station and storage shed are still standing, and from Street View the two buildings at the lower middle of the picture seem a lot like Drachen Fire's station on RCDB:


Drachen Fire was removed over 18 years ago, but its plot remains unused to this day, so there should be potential here. I'd say something big and B&M-y, if not for the fact that they already have a Hyper, an Invert and a Dive Machine - what's left after that? Apart from a Wing Rider, of course?
However, the plot is in a very remote corner of the park nowadays, and I'm not sure if the nearby paths could accomodate the traffic caused by a flagship attraction. The gap between Das Festhaus and Autobahn seems a little narrow, and the whole area is a dead end. The enthusiast's answer, of course, is to develop the land on the other side of the river (again, click the picture to go to the location on Google Maps), by the Italy area, and connect the resurrected Drachen Fire area to it, creating a "southern loop" on the park's layout.

Oh well, enough from me. What promising idle plots have you noticed?

Tagging @TheFlyerMan1, since this thread was inspired by his recent, ill-fated Thorpe Flyer thread. I think the idea was very good, but the execution somewhat lacking. TFM1, feel free to continue your discussion in here!
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Kings Island is always a popular pick for parks with unused land. Lack of development is related to sheer cost - we are talking about densely wooded areas with great terrain change. Diamondback was actually considered to have a straight out-and-back layout, but opted for an L-bend to minimize footprint and cost of development, footers, supports, etc. Banshee is also a terrain coaster of sorts, built heading into a gulley, where the fastest and lowest point of the ride is not until the second half of the layout.

To key in more specifically to where Kings Island could look to expand in property, areas behind Beast and Banshee (Son of Beast is still pictured in photo rendering) are portions of Kings Island land that remain undeveloped.

Capture.png

Capture0.png


You will notice random areas of clearing, which have often been used as light storage or locations for haunted attractions (new this year, Kings Island built Field of Screams in the plot of land right behind Racer in the first picture). Most of this terrain is on a downward slope, but would be absolutely fruitful for new coaster/ride expansion. Kings Island was built on the concept of a hub-and-spoke layout, with the park shaped as a half circle and rides branching off accordingly. To that end, Kings Island could gradually develop land to continue that formation, building the wheel out ever further.

A second park that has surprising room for growth is Kentucky Kingdom. While the park has been focused on filling out the vacant plots of land left behind by Six Flags' ride removals, the park does own undisclosed surrounding areas that could be developed further. Kentucky Kingdom really has an exciting trajectory, and has written the book on how to develop small footprint, 100 ft. roller coasters that can hang with the best of them. Height clearance is an issue with Kentucky Kingdom given it's proximity to the nearby airport, but these types of regulations can be addressed over time given proper attention and lobbying. (Carowinds for instance is in the direct flight path of the Charlotte Airport) Kentucky Kingdom also does have some underground clearance before they hit bedrock, giving options for longer drops by digging down.

Capture1.png
 

shawnoc

Mega Poster
The big open grass space at Chessington between Dragons Fury and The Gallion.

This space could work as a whole new area as well as a new flagship coaster. A coaster simelar to Limit or Anubis, but using the terrain as the site slopes down to the bottom end of the plot. It's huge plot and could include flats.

Question for all uk parks is! Why are the on green belt land or in conservation areas! Planning will never be given for the above.
 

TheFlyerMan1

Roller Poster
Oh, erm... I don't know what to say! I do, however, feel that this thread is a good idea, and it may also inspire budding theme park entrepreneurs to consider how they can use space effectively and what things could go where. :emoji_thumbsup:
 

spicy

Giga Poster
Nice Topic.

I still can't believe the huge plot by Colossos at Heide still sits empty. Especially after this awesome looking Giga coaster was cancelled years ago.
giga1.jpg

They have added 2 B&Ms since then too. Would love to see similar plans resurrected for that plot.

Another plot is the huge space at Disneyland Paris which Indiana Jones Adventure was once planned for.
adventureland_ija.jpg

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/when-indiana-jones-adventure-will-be.html

Would love to see Indy there or it used for a Splash Mountain style ride.
 
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furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Ah, you don't mean this kind of plot..?

According to Coasters101, the ride's safety system had been overridden manually by the workers themselves. There's a camera on the batwing element where it stalled. They would've seen the car there and wouldn't have launched the ride. If you ask me, either the ride operators were trying to get fired or they just REALLY wanted the ride removed. ATR would never remove a ride they probably treasure the most. Before it was opened they put the ride logo on sheep in the area, as well as a mobile app game that was released on the ride's opening day in 2013. In a way, it kinda seems like they spend more money on the decoration than on the ride itself. I'm not entirely sure. The ride is still one of my favourites though.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
I know this is also going to be a taboo notion, but many large amusement parks sport even larger parking lots that often lay unused for majority of their season.

SFMM, Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, SFGAdv, and others have seen mixed success in reclaiming unused parking lot space; however it can be done in such a way to add meaningful new land to useable park property. Obviously plunking a roller coaster down in the middle of striped concrete is not the best tact.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Despite being landlocked, SFGAm does have a fair few plots of land/old attractions that can go. I made this image a while ago, showing 8(well, 7 now that The Joker is coming) potential areas for expansion:

qULAVeH.jpg

Area 1 is the location of the old Trailblazer attraction, which was a Zamperla Joker. The queue line still stands, including the safety signs! The park currently uses it as a queue for one of the haunts they have. I think a smaller flat could fit here, i.e. Larson Super Loop, Falling Star, etc.

Area 2 is the old Sky Trail(upcharge ropes course) spot. A medium-large flat, or a smaller coaster could easily fit here. A lot of people on SFGAmWorld(local forum) say that a Star Flyer would fit here, and I agree. It's a perfect spot for a ride like that.

Area 3 is the current location for Buccaneer Battle, a Mack Splash Battle. While the theming is nice, it is a HUGE waste of water, land, money, staff, etc. This ride never has a line, even on the hottest of days. The longest I've seen this is maybe 10 people out the station. They already put this ride on limited operation(opens later, closes early), so its life is probably limited. We already know that the space can fit a coaster or a large flat, so make the most of it!

Area 4 is the current location of the Go-Karts. While I seriously doubt the park is going to remove it, they can still make huge improvements to it. For example, at LEAST add some theming to it. While it is Six Flags, they do at least try to keep the themed areas somewhat prevalent(when they added Justice League, they created a new area to separate it from Southwest Territory). Why not add in some Yukon-y theming? Maybe some totem poles, some pine trees, or even enclose the thing and add in some really nice theming and lighting. Think the forest scene in Test Track 2.0, but much more realistic.

Area 5 is a biggie. The whole area is the space currently occupied by the two Log Flumes the park has- Logger's Run and Yankee Clipper. Both opened with the park, and haven't really had much done to them. The only theming is in the cars, the ride's two drop system has been reduced to one, and it's just really outdated. While nobody wants to see them leave, their time is coming. I think a good replacement would either be a Mack Water Coaster(to fill the water ride void), or a Mack Launch. Or maybe both? Pulsar Clone and another ride in the same area?

Area 6 is not applicable anymore since The Joker is taking it up.

Area 7 is also not going to happen, but there is some reasoning behind it. It's the combined areas of Superman: Ultimate Flight, and The Dark Knight. Both are typically hated among the enthusiast community, so why not replace them with something better? Someone on SFGAmWorld posted an image showing that a Chance Hyper GT-X and a few flats could fit in the Dark Knight spot, and that Bizarro from SFGAdv could fit into Superman's plot, albeit would cost a few parking spaces and the Bumper Cars. Another possibility was that TDK was unboxed, rethemed to New Orleans, and make the queue entirely outside, giving the park another theater again(the current queue line was once a theater). Again, not likely, but it's still an option.

Area 8 is the space that is behind Whizzer, and the current plot of Pictorium, the IMAX theater. The Pictorium has been outdated and unused for years, and is really showing its age. If it's demolished, and combines space with the area behind Whizzer, you can fit in a decently sized coaster there. Another possibility could be Waterpark expansion, which is also likely, but a coaster is preferable.

Now, those blue lines also mean something. Those are areas that could have rides go over them, but not necessarily replace them. It can be used to combine areas. If you can put a coaster over Roaring Rapids, you can combine areas 5 and 7 to create one massive area, capable of housing a giga. Areas 3 and 4 could be combined for a nice coaster. Maybe even go to area 2 and create a long, 'interactive' coaster?
 

Bat Fastard

Hyper Poster
Worlds of Fun has a great amount of land that they could use. In this image, the top left/center. Near Patriot, Mamba and Timber Wolf. It is much more apparent in person. They could fit a massive coaster in this space, but since Worlds of Fun does not have "Point" or "Island" in their name, I doubt Cedar Fair gives them anything for a while. I just want to see my nearest major park get something big and new.
 

balrog

Mega Poster
Parc Asterix has a crazy amount of free space available

image.jpg


Basically, the red spot is large enough to accommodate an intamin mega-lite. The blue, green and yellow could all mean something major (look at the size of Goudurix and Tonnerre de Zeus in comparison) . The grey areas on the bottom are parts on which I'm not sure the park could build, but if they could ...
The grey area on top corresponds to a possible redesign of the parking lots, as their is some unused space in between the different parking lots that could easily be filled.

Finally, the orange part is now the location of a Disc'o and I don't know what is left of it. The 2017 family Gerstlauer is being built on the empty plot right north of it.
 
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Rachel

Coaster MILF
What happened to the area where Thorpe Farm used to be? Is it the same place as Ian has circled in the image above?

So much potential for that whole area in general though.
 

spicy

Giga Poster
^ No Thorpe Farm is much further up. You can see it on this land infill plan by the 1 and 2 flood areas.

infill.jpg


There are already plans on TP's MTDP for a coaster on the site which Ian circled though.

ThorpePark2010-2015.jpg


Think it was originally planned for this year but we know what they opened instead :(
 

TheFlyerMan1

Roller Poster
Okay, thought I may bring life back to this topic.

One thing we could do here is discuss what could go in these empty land masses. For that peninsula at Thorpe, as I suggested, a large scale flyer could fit in there and maybe even interact with The Swarm?
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Through some thorough research, I've managed to identify a space for Hong Kong Disneyland to maybe squeeze something in in the future. I think I might e-mail my findings to Bob Iger.

disney%20space_zpspsypthx9.jpg
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
Um.. Ok, I'll have a go with some of the local parks.

Lets start with Fun Spot on I Drive -

The giant red spot is being set aside for their next expansion called "the old Florida project" but they keep changing what the plans for the plot...are. Whatever they add there, it will increase the park size by like, 1/5.

SeaWorld and Aquatica -

Bottom left yellow is the "G: Gator" lot, they don't really use it much and they still had an overflow lot across the street. The yellow area would make for good expansion. North of that the blue area just under the green SeaWorld label is only used during special events for now.. but could easily become a "boardwalk" type midway area with some flat rides and easy to theme.... The red area is a bunch of admin type buildings that don't really need to be next to the park. They could easily be moved across the street where their HR buildings are and free up room for the park to grow. The lighter blue across I Drive is all land SeaWorld owns and could be used for Aquatica expansions (or for parking lot if they decide to add slides into the current lot) And lastly the bottom darker blue area... Currently its employee parking and storage. SW could go back to making employees park in the garage across the street next to HR again and free up what would be their largest plot of land.

Magic Kingdom -

Red land is free/open land.. ready to be used! Yellow is employee parking for the higher ups... but also prime land for a Tomorrowland add on (Tron coaster anyone?) or even an all new mini-land. Both blue areas have current attractions but both are always ones rumored to be on their way out. the right being the speedway, something already lost at Hong Kong.. and heading out soon at Tokyo? Such a massive ride at WDW and could easily be turned into 3 good sized rides.. or 2 + a coaster. The blue plot on the left is Rivers of America, Steam Boat, and Tom Sawyer Island. Theres 'always' talk about just parking the boat to make it a meet and greet photo spot and building a bridge over to TS Island... a giant plot of land ready to be used for something new. Also in developing the island would grant access to all the red land at the top of the image.

And, uh, because... Canobie Lake -

Blue is alllllll just open and ready to be used! although the top right most area in the blue section I believe is somewhat swampy and probably not ideal to be built on. (the bottom of the right most blue part is sometimes used as overflow parking) The red area is currently used for employee parking but would make for a good plot to add 2 or 3 new rides that would still be contained within the park, doing so would also make Yankee Cannonball no-longer a parking lot coaster... as it would be within the actual park now. And the yellow area at the bottom is a rarely used overflow parking lot and also storage area that could house a few new rides or even a coaster at some point.
 

davidm

Strata Poster
Thought Funspot were expanding across the road (off the top of the pic that you posted) rather than spiting their gators.
(could have got that wrong though, no idea why I thought that?)
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
Thought Funspot were expanding across the road (off the top of the pic that you posted) rather than spiting their gators.
(could have got that wrong though, no idea why I thought that?)
The gators are just under the red blob. You can see 3 of the 4 gator pools ;)
Across the street... as far as today, is now a giant parking lot. They've cleared the land out and paved it over.
 
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