Walt Disney Co. is at it again but this time they are building houses and not theme parks. The groundbreaking took place Tuesday in Coachella Valley a new housing community with a magical twist.
600 acres of land is going to be transformed into Contio, Disney's first Storyliving community here in the US.
"The story is really about the residents of the community," said Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences. "This is what makes this so very, very different. Because it isn't just about our program - which will be spectacular - but it is really where our residents and the community can write and live their own story."
The community will be offering condominiums, single family homes as well as a hotel with shopping, dinning, and entertainment. The new development even plans on creating a beach for the residents to enjoy, imagine that a beach in the middle of the desert.
"This is a full community," said Michael Hundgen, a Walt Disney Imagineering executive producer. "And what we're hoping is that folks here can treat this like their creative oasis."
Fun fact about the area where they broke ground, Walt used to own a home and spend his summers near Rancho Mirage. So its no coincidence they selected Rancho Mirage for this new Storyliving community.
"I think it was deeply meaningful for the Disney team to make this first of this new series of communities here, in a place that meant so much" to Walt and Lillian Disney, said Brent Herrington, CEO of DMB Development.
"We're very lucky that Walt has roots here, to the Coachella Valley," said Hundgen. "He used to come and he brought his Imagineers, his animators, and they would come to be inspired, they would come to use it as a creative outlet. And so we're bringing forward that same legacy as we think about what we hope for the residents here."
No word on how much these mini castles are going for, but they are set to go on the market in early 2023 with residents moving in by 2024.
SOURCE: ABC 7