LAKEPORT, Calif. — A longtime family owned business is celebrating breaking ground on a building project that will significantly expand its operations and opportunities.

Community members, and business leaders and city leaders gathered with the Disney family for a groundbreaking at the site where the new Disney’s Boat Rentals will be located at 2200 Lakeshore Blvd. in Lakeport on Wednesday, July 2.

“We’re really, really excited. It’s been a long time coming,” said Brandon Disney, son of the founders and a Lakeport City Council member.

He said his family has been pouring their hearts and souls into the project.

Roy and Charlotte Disney, along with Roy’s brother, Kory Disney, founded the company in 1983.

Brandon Disney noted that, in a very real sense, the business was his parents’ first child. He was born 10 years after the business was founded.

Disney’s Boat Rentals is a true family affair. In addition to Roy, Charlotte, Kory and Brandon, there is Roy and Charlotte’s other children, Connor and Brenda.

The project is a big upgrade for the longtime business. It was in different locations in its early years — including Konocti Harbor and Willopoint — before arriving at its current location at 401 S. Main St. 31 years ago.

The new location, next door to the Lakeport Unified School District main campus, will be a significant upgrade in size for the business, which currently is housed in a 600-square foot building on one acre.

The site will feature a two-story building that’s just under 3,000 square feet. It sits on six acres, across from the lake, that the Disneys purchased in 2021.

They’ve been in the project planning stage ever since the purchase, Brandon Disney said. 

Brandon Disney said the new building will include office space, storage, and a new retail store for snacks and drinks. 

The building will go up on the only spot that isn’t in the flood plain and also will be elevated, Disney said.

Disney said they are preserving the oak trees on the property, with a goal of having it look like the state park.

The process to get to groundbreaking included a year of intense planning, leading up to approvals from the Lakeport Planning Commission in January and the Lake County Planning Commission, necessary due to the required lake variances, this spring, he said.

There will be two new docks across the street from the building on the lake. One will be 125 feet long and the second will be 100 feet long. The county needed to grant variances due to the length of the docks and the fact that there is a second dock, which isn’t for public use but for fueling and cleaning.

There will be a crosswalk with rapid flashing beacons and advance warning to help with traffic as the Disneys, their employees and customers make their way back and forth to the lake.

Excavation and site prep started the week before the ribbon cutting. The footings are set to be dug this week, with concrete to be poured next week or later.

Brandon Disney said they received the building permit the day before the ground breaking, “Which was icing on the cake because we planned this.”

At the new Lakeshore Boulevard location, Disney said they can expand and improve efficiency, which excites him.

He said they’re also excited to be out of downtown, because now downtown is a destination for their customers to visit.

Connor Disney said they want to be in the new building in the spring of 2026.

“Our goal is to operate our rental season here next year,” Brandon Disney said.

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