Disney is no stranger to creating residential communities. There have been a few attempts in the past such as Golden Oak, which was located within Disneyworld but was bought out by the Four Seasons. Another attempt was Celebration Real Estate, which became a suburb of Orlando and is no longer under the control of the company. The third, Country Walk, was built by the Disney-owned Arvida Corporation, but was severely destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
However, this time Disney is back with a new line of communities under the title of “Storyliving.” According to their website, it’s a place where residents can be a part of Disney “all the time” as well as “live life to the fullest and truly take pride in every new chapter to come”.
The first community is set to be built on a plot of desert land approximately one square mile in size. It is going to be built in the desert town of Rancho Mirage, located in the Coachella Valley of California. This is due to the fact that Walt Disney had a very deep love for the area as he lived in Palm Springs, only a few miles from Rancho Mirage. He was known to frequently retreat into the surrounding desert to fuel his inspiration for early Disney projects.
The flagship community is set to be a mix of a resort, a country club and a planned community. There will be several neighborhoods, some designed for the 55+ crowd, with a variety of housing options. These range from condominiums to standard single-family homes to large estates. Altogether, there will be upwards of almost two thousand housing units for residents to live in. Along with this, they have also received zoning approvals for a hotel for non-residents to stay in.
They are also developing plans to put in several different shopping, entertainment and dining options for the residents. The entertainment is said to range from cooking classes to live performances to philanthropic endeavors to seminars, and much more.
Concept art for the community shows an array of sleek, modern buildings to serve as amenities surrounded by palm trees and housing units for the families. On top of that, the art shows that Cotino is going to surround a 24-acre lagoon filled by crystal blue water in the center of it.
Residents of the community can use this artificial oasis for recreational waterfront activities, as a beach is set to line the shore of one end of the lagoon. Along with that, non-residents can also access this with the purchase of a day pass, as well as the equipment that comes with the waterfront activities.
While specifics like a start date, completion date, pricing and specific amenities have not been announced, Disney is eager to start building Cotino.
