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On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, Disney announced its latest venture, Asteria, a residential community in North Carolina. Located near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the residential community is being developed by Storyliving by Disney, a Walt Disney Company initiative.
The community in North Carolina will “cater to those looking to write the next chapter of their lives with Disney,” a press release published by the company said. The project is still in the beginning stages of planning with Walt Disney Imagineering and DMB Development, so sales can be anticipated to begin in 2027.
In the press release on Wednesday, Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Signature Experiences Emerging Businesses, spoke about the venture and said:
“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. 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.”
However, the announcement by Disney has left the netizens more concerned and skeptical than excited. While many said Asteria sounded like a “dystopian novel,” others compared it with The Truman Show, a movie that shows how people are limited by their perception of reality.
One Reddit user said:
Asteria is Storyliving’s second Disney-themed community. The first one was Cotino in Rancho Mirage, California. It was announced in February 2022.
Netizens call Asteria a "dystopian reality"
In its announcement, Disney said Asteria is planned to be established on 1,500 acres within Pittsboro in Chatham County. The company envisions providing residents with urban conveniences in a small-town atmosphere, complemented by abundant parks and extensive walking and biking trails.
The company also said Asteria will have 4,000 units comprising single-family and multi-family homes. However, as the news reached netizens, they started sharing their opinions, as many expressed their skepticism about this project. Here is how people reacted as a Reddit user, u/BarfHurricane, shared the news on the platform:
The company also announced that the community will have a wellness and recreation center, a restaurant, a sports court, swimming pools, and massive community gardens. However, at the moment, Disney has not revealed the price of these homes.
