Disney is making moves to open a new community in North Carolina – Asteria. This will be the second Storyliving by Disney community, with the original being worked on now in California. Asteria will be over 1,500 acres, offering 4,000 residential areas and 55+ aged spaces.
Storyliving by Disney – Asteria, a new residential community located near Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Asteria is designed to encourage exploration of the state’s natural beauty. This Storyliving community is in the beginning stages of planning with Walt Disney Imagineering and DMB Development. Homes in the community will be built by select homebuilders with sales anticipated to begin by 2027.
“The announcement of the Asteria community builds upon strong initial interest for our first Storyliving by Disney community in California and will expand Disney-branded communities to the East Coast,” said Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Signature Experiences Emerging Businesses. “Our team has been working closely with Disney Imagineers to develop a unique vision for this project inspired by Walt Disney’s innate curiosity and North Carolina’s spirit of discovery.”
Located in Pittsboro, North Carolina
This community will be based near Pittsboro, North Carolina. This allows residents to be within 45 minutes of Raleigh, 40 minutes of Durham and two hours of Charlotte.
The Asteria community will offer future residents a distinct lifestyle with Disney community design. Ranging home styles will line small streets leading to a mix of community amenities focused on the area’s natural beauty. Aligning with Chatham Park Builder’s commitment to open green space, the community will feature acres of neighborhood parks and miles of walking and biking trails.
Asteria – Disney Community coming to North Carolina
Asteria community homeowners will be part of a Disney club. Planned amenities include a wellness and recreation center, restaurant, sport courts, swimming pools, community garden, lawn games, events and fire pits. Disney states that Walt Disney Imagineering has spent significant time researching this project. The team visited and immersed themselves in the region to develop the Asteria community’s theme. Influenced by the nearby universities in the famed Research Triangle, Asteria is envisioned as a campus of discovery.
“We’re looking forward to collaborating with Disney to bring another Storyliving by Disney community to life,” said DMB Development CEO Brent Herrington. “Just as the desert setting inspired our teams with the Cotino community, North Carolina’s rich landscape and history is at the heart of our initial planning work with Walt Disney Imagineering. We’ve got a lot of great ideas to showcase the beauty of this area.”
You can get an early preview at some of Disney’s design elements with the recently opened World Celebration area at Epcot. This new center of the park focuses on lounge spaces, greenery and nighttime illumination.
no mention of Celebration ?
Celebration is certainly a major milestone of Disney’s work in community building. For this article I wanted to focus more on their venture into the new Storyliving by Disney arm of the company, and not as much on their previous community (which is a great town). I do recognize Celebration in the YouTube short form of this article: https://youtube.com/shorts/S8DDYjwXkmY?feature=share
I’m sure Disney hasn’t disclosed one way or another but I’m curious about security overall. “Homeowners will be part of a Disney club.” Does this mean Disney will continue to oversee and manage any municipal services for the Storylivng communities once all the homes have sold? Will these communities be considered Disney destinations similar to a Disney-owned resort? There are safety rules for what can and cannot enter a theme park and those rules are enforced with controlled entry, distinct perimeters, search and safety check procedures, etc. Would any of that be employed for these communities? I wonder. What a delight it would be to live and exist in a little bubble or haven of safety – like the theme parks – for your real life.
I believe it will operate more like a country club, but perhaps be staffed by Disney Cast Members. Exercise classes, family events and community experiences, but with known Disney quality and customer service. I can’t confirm that, but I believe that is where it is leaning.
When is this suppose to start
Construction and clearing is “imminent,” with first sales of homes expected to begin in 2027.