A flurry of new permit activity is confirming that an expansion pad for the Universal Monsters themed area of Epic Universe will in fact be getting a new ride, and the first of these permits was just issued for site prep. Long rumored to be a Creature from the Black Lagoon ride, whatever is coming here, permit notes say the new structure will be three stories and contain a ride maintenance bay.

Let’s check in on permits for this expansion project in Epic Universe and more in today’s news update.

First permitted back in March, the documents being approved now by Orange County are for the site preparation of what Universal originally called “early work purposes of a future attraction known as Project 680.”

Since then two new permits have shown up, one just for site work and the other for site work related to a new structure’s foundation.

At first we weren’t sure where in Epic Universe this project was located, but thankfully comments left on one of the permit applications by county officials spelled it out for us.

Project 680 appears to contain a “building 1570 on the utility plan.” This tells us that the project is for the Dark Universe area of the park, because that’s the only area featuring building numbers that start with “15”.

In fact, Building 1570 does not yet exist at the park. The highest number currently is Building 1560, which is for Curse of the Werewolf. That was the last building added to the plans during early construction of the park.

Dark Universe has had around three acres of land that were set aside for a future expansion. Situated behind the land, with a future entrance point between The Burning Blade Tavern and Monsters Unchained, earlier plans say this plot is for “Expansion Phase 2.”

So, we know where the land will be prepared for a new “attraction,” but the permits can also tell us how big it will be too.

Permits were recently updated, now listing the attraction’s main building as being 3 stories. It’s shown as being 93,308 square feet in size, with 71,500 of that for tenant usable space.

Even more interesting though, are the newest notes added to the site work permit.

The notes describe the three stories, with Orange County officials asking about staircase, ramp, and exit sign placements—the usual comments we expect to see with early permitting. One note however, specifically asks about the “Ride Maintenance Bay on the first floor.”

These notes are related to details that the government officials are seeing in the submitted planning documents, which means the plans must show a ride maintenance bay. This is our first confirmation that the new attraction will in fact be a ride, and NOT a show or theater as some have speculated.

Of the two active permits related to this project (that we know about,) one was just approved by the county this week and issued.

The expiration for the permit is currently listed as January 2027, six months from issuance, so we should hopefully see movement start before the end of the year.

While the long time rumor for an expansion to Dark Universe has been for an indoor boat ride based on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, lately there have also been rumors that the attraction could feature the Bride of Frankenstein.

A clue that seemingly ties these two separate rumors together may have been right under our noses the whole time.

Some of the official Dark Universe branded merchandise feature a comic book motif, sporting the Dark Universe branding along with a “Horror Comics” title. One of these graphics includes Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon seemingly stalking the Bride of Frankenstein.

Fans speculate that not only is this indication that these two characters may be featured together on an attraction, but since the corner of the image includes the Comic Book number 3, that could mean this represents the THIRD ride for the land.

Universal Orlando has not released any official details for an additional ride for Epic Universe at this time, so all of this information is based on permits and speculation at this time. Looking at aerial photos, it does not appear that work has started in the expansion plot yet either.

The inclusion of a ride maintenance bay is the best lead we have yet for what type of attraction we could be looking at for the space, but that still leaves a lot more information to be discovered.

Despite the company being hush hush about this project, they have hinted at “more magic coming out of Epic Universe, especially in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”

That land in Epic Universe has also seen permits describing a large new expansion project, known as Project 987. Before the Dark Universe permit was approved, the Harry Potter expansion was issued two permits of its own.

The structure for the Potter expansion, which is listed as Building 1660 in permits, is currently described as 2 stories with 95,748 square feet of space.

Despite seeing its site work and foundation permits issued, work on that project has yet to begin as well.

Rumors lately have been saying that both of these massive new ride projects will be built concurrently… We’re just waiting for them to start.

In the meantime, the multi-purpose events structure being built now in Celestial Park is seeing its second level added.

This second story will house offices that will serve the park, with a catering kitchen located on the first story. Vertical construction on the large ballroom space has yet to start.

That’s all for now, but stay tuned to Park Stop for the latest progress on new construction at Epic Universe. A big thanks to Theme Park Wizard for keeping tabs of new permits for the park, and to Bioreconstruct for the latest bird’s eye views of the park.

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Subscribe to the RSS feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Permit Images: Orange County Government Permitting Office | Aerial Photos: Bioreconstruct | Additional Photos: Alicia Stella | Other Images as Captioned

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