PI Update: What's Happening Behind Portobello?

Besides the name change from Portobello Yacht Club to just Portobello, there's a bit more going on back there besides just the addition of a service exit/entrance. In this photo taken this past January, you can see that Portobello used to have a rear patio with an awning. CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE TWICE

The club Motion was demolished in January and work began on a service exit/entrance at the rear of the Portobello restaurant. At this point in February Disney was full steam ahead on the Hyperion Wharf project which would lead to both Motion and RRBC coming down and a plan to route PI's main pedestrian walkway through the existing service court between Portobello and Raglan Road.

In this March photo, we can see a blue tarp covering the area where the rear awning/patio used to exist.

In early April work began on that new service exit/entrance.....

.....and by late April construction was well-along. Note the blue tarp still there.

In this SkyCam view from earlier this week, we can see the former awning/patio has completely disappeared and the new service exit/entrance is rapidly approaching completion as well. The construction wall has been extended from where it used to end at that purple awning over the bathroom entrances all the way across the existing service court. When they complete the new walkway, it is supposed to make a right turn into that existing service court and come out by the Lily Pad. Supposedly a few new shops will fit into the existing service court. But to route the pathway that direction, those transformers or some of that grass is going to have to be removed. There is no indication at this time of either. So we'll just have to continue to watch.