Last month, after 18 months of wrangling, Disney got the go-ahead for Phase I of its Asteria Storyliving Community in Chatham County, North Carolina. Days after getting the approval, Disney broke ground on the infrastructure needed to build thousands of new houses in the area.

Lake surrounded by colorful trees at sunset with a purple-pink sky. Text reads “ASTERIA: A Storyliving by Disney Community.”.
Credit: Storyliving by Disney

Disney’s Asteria will include 4000 residential units on 1,500 acres, green space, community buildings, neighborhood parks, and access to the development’s natural beauty, including the Haw River. Disney expects sales to begin on the new development in 2027.

The initial plan calls for developing 217 acres of the 1,550-acre project. The initial phase will build 494 single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and quadplexes along tree-lined streets. Disney plans to develop the property in three separate phases.

The town of Pittsboro, where the new development is located, currently has only around 4,500 residents. The development plans are causing friction in the rural town, as residents have concerns about infrastructure, population growth, and the potential for sky-high housing costs with the opening of the new development.

Thanks to Disney’s new development there, the town is expected to grow to over 60,000 residents in the next decade, which will drastically alter its small-town feel, and many residents do not want Disney to take over their village.

Three adults stand together smiling and discussing a large architectural model of a planned community, with a map and development photos visible on the wall behind them.
Credit: Storyliving by Disney

One resident wrote:

As a life long mountain resident of NC I cannot comprehend anything worse than Helene was to us than a 60000 Disney place. Horrors!

Pittsboro is located just west of Raleigh, the state capital, and southeast of Greensboro. That puts it within the North Carolina research triangle, which includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It is also within driving distance of the state’s three largest universities: North Carolina State, the University of North Carolina, and Duke.

That area of the state has seen an explosion in growth over the last decade, which has increased housing costs and living expenses.

Two people sit at a desk covered with art supplies, swatches, and design materials, reviewing documents. Behind them are mood boards and images labeled "COTINO" and "A Storyliving by Disney.
Credit: Storyliving by Disney

Another resident wrote:

You welcome this but the gentrification is raising costs for generational families an its pushing them off their land. But hey, as long as you get what u want right? Screw the other guy. 

Despite the opposition from some longtime residents, others see the advantage of bringing Disney into the state and the money that will come with the additional residents.

Pittsboro business owner and lifelong resident Vicky Oldham said:

I cannot believe it’s coming. It almost seems surreal. I see a future for my children here. I see a town that didn’t dry up and die. For that, I’m happy.

Whether they like it or not, Disney’s Asteria is coming to North Carolina, and whether it will benefit longtime residents remains to be seen.

Would you want Disney building in your state? Let us know in the comments. 

The post North Carolinians Have Serious Concerns About Disney’s Expansion Project in the State appeared first on Inside the Magic.

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