Storyliving by Disney is a business venture and brand of The Walt Disney Company announced on February 16, 2022, to collaboratively develop master-planned communities that utilize Disney Imagineering and are staffed by Disney cast members.[1] It operates under the company's Disney Living Development, Inc. subsidiary. Cotino, in Rancho Mirage, California, was the first Storyliving by Disney community chosen for development, where ground breaking took place in April 2022.[2] In December 2023, plans were announced for a second such community, named Asteria, in Pittsboro, North Carolina.[3]
 | |
| Owner | Disney Signature Experiences (Disney Experiences) |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 2022 |
| Markets | United States |
| Registered as a trademark in | United States |
| Website | storylivingbydisney |
Cotino
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Cotino, in Southern California's Coachella Valley, in the city of Rancho Mirage, is the first Storyliving by Disney community under development. It is adjacent to, and on land once owned by, the Annenberg Sunnylands Estate. Developed in collaboration with DMB Development LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona,[4] Cotino will be a 618-acre (250 ha) mixed-use development with several residential options, hotels, resort facilities, and a retail center, all surrounding a 24-acre (9.7 ha) grand oasis and lagoon.[2]
The community's name, Cotino, was derived from Cotinus, the genus name of a plant commonly referred to as the Smoketree. It was chosen in recognition of Walt Disney, who maintained a home in the Smoke Tree Ranch in nearby Palm Springs.[4] Smoke Tree Ranch was one of Disney's favorite locations to relax. So loved by Disney, the Ranch's stylized STR emblem was included on Walt's tie on the 1993 Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue, Partners. (Note: The smoke tree plant species commonly found in the Palms Springs area, and the Mojave Desert in general, is not of the genus Cotinus, but the genus and species Psorothamnus spinosus.)
Groundbreaking for the project was held on April 23, 2022.[5] The first 70-acre (28 ha) tract map was tentatively approved by the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission on July 14, 2022, despite opposition by some Coachella Valley residents who cited the ongoing megadrought as a reason to revisit the environmental impact of the project before allowing the developer to proceed.[6] Home sales began by December 2023 with the first homes completed later in 2024.[7] In February 2024, as part of a quarterly earnings report, Disney announced that Cotino will open in 2025.[8]
Section 31
editThe Cotino development includes most of US land survey Section 31 in the city of Rancho Mirage. Investors had previously purchased the land from the Annenberg estate in 1977, and in 1993 The Eagle Specific Plan had been approved for development, but never started.[9] After some ownership changes, and at least two bankruptcies brought on by the Great Recession, Section 31 did not become available again until 2016. In 2017 a 23-acre (9.3 ha) portion of the land, separated from the rest of Section 31 by Monterey Boulevard, was sold to the Tower Energy Group.[10] The remainder of Section 31 was purchased in 2018 for $75 million by EC Rancho Mirage Holdings Limited Partnership,[11] a Canadian firm organized in the state of Delaware. EC Rancho Mirage brought in DMB Development LLC to help design a new plan for the site, initially called the Section 31 Specific Plan or Section 31 Project. When Disney was brought in to apply their expertise and brand, the Section 31 Project became Cotino.
Asteria
editAsteria, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, near the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, is the second Storyliving by Disney community under development.[3] Sales for homes in the community are expected to begin by 2027.[3]
See also
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References
edit- ^ duBois, Megan. "Storyliving By Disney Is Disney's New Venture Into Planned Residential Communities". Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Disney Launches New Business to Develop Residential Communities". DSE.News. Disney Signature Experiences. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Clements, Erin (December 6, 2023). "A New Disney Planned Community Is Coming — and It's Not in Florida or California!". People. Archived from the original on 2023-12-08. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Barkas, Sherry. "Want to live in a Disney house? New development in Rancho Mirage promises 'magic'". Desert Sun. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ Painter, Alycia Gray (28 April 2022). "Disney's First 'Storyliving' Community Breaks Ground". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ Barkas, Sherry (14 July 2022). "Rancho Mirage planners OK tract map for a portion of Disney's 618-acre Cotino development". The Desert Sun. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ Ludwig, Ashley (December 13, 2023). "Housing Styles Released For 'Storyliving By Disney' In Rancho Mirage". Patch. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Disney provides updated timeline for Parks and Experiences openings through 2026". WDWMagic. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Section 31 Specific Plan" (PDF). City of Rancho Mirage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ DiPierro, Amy (4 January 2018). "Coveted Rancho Mirage corner, once part of Annenberg Estate, just sold for $5.6 million". The Desert Sun. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ DiPierro, Amy (28 March 2018). "Once part of the Annenberg estate, a square mile of virgin sand in Rancho Mirage just sold for $75M". The Desert Sun. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2022.