Even though living in the Magic Kingdom might still be an unattainable goal, Disney is doing everything in its power to make it more realistic. In 2022, the company announced the beginning of the “Storyliving By Disney” project, which would translate into master-planned residential communities combining small-town charm, resort-inspired beauty and Disney touches.
The first community is planned for Cotino, California, and, while construction of that project is still underway, thanks to the positive response, Disney has now announced a second location in Pittsboro, North Carolina, called Asteria. The project will count around 4,000 residential units.
“Inspired by the spirit of discovery, the Asteria community is being designed to encourage exploration, spark life-long learning, and create new connections for future residents”, Disney shared in a blog post. “The name Asteria pays homage to the native North Carolina aster flower. Disney Imagineers chose the community’s name to honour North Carolina’s natural beauty from the Earth to the sky.”
According to Disney, the Asteria community – located on 1,500 acres (607 hectares) in Chatham County – will leave ample space to nature, with Disney Imagineers doing their best to “blur the lines of indoor and outdoor living”. Moreover, Asteria community homeowners will become part of a club with amenities and programming designed to encourage learning and connectivity with a wellness and recreation centre, restaurant, sport courts, swimming pools, community garden and plenty of outdoor space at their disposal. And, naturally , some of the organised activities on-site will be Disney-themed.
Although it might seem like a Disney community would be something mainly kids would be interested in, the company is doing everything in its power to attract a varied population. With a mix of estates, single-family homes and condos, Disney is trying to appeal to home-buyers of all kinds. Special sections for homeowners of 55 years and older are designed to attract older residents too. However, with single-family homes starting at prices well over 1 million dollars, a well-filled bank account seems to be necessary in order to apply. As the project is still in the early stages of development, houses in the community will be built by select homebuilders with sales anticipated to begin by 2027.
