UPDATE: Disney’s NEW Housing Project Just Got Approved

Disney always has a ton of projects going on at any given time.

Magic Kingdom is about to get its first attraction based on The Princess and the Frog. New restaurants are being built at Disney’s Boardwalk. The company has even filed permits for some kind of work at the closed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Outside of Disney World, though, Disney is working on creating affordable housing in Orlando. Well, that project has now taken a major step forward.

Previously, Disney filed for re-zoning permits that would support the land-use change needed to build a 1,410 housing unit near State Road 429. Now, according to The Orlando Sentinel, Disney’s affordable housing project has been proposed to the Orange County Planning and Zoning Board and was approved by that board. However, it was only narrowly approved, with a final vote of 4-3.

The approval has been granted, though, despite concerns by residents in a nearby community worried about how the new housing will affect the neighborhood’s roads, schools, and emergency services. Disney has promised to hold another community meeting to work through those concerns with members of the community before county commissioners make a final decision on whether to recommend Disney’s proposal. If it is recommended, the proposal would go to state authorities for review.

Disney has already chosen a developer for the project, The Michaels Organization, who have also agreed to consider reducing how many units the housing will contain. Disney had initial hopes that the new complex would have five stories and would “target incomes in the 50-100% AMI (area median income) range” in the Orlando area, which fluctuates depending on how many members there are in the family.

©Disney

Disney has also expressed plans to begin groundbreaking on the complex by October 2024 with an anticipated completion timeline set for 2026, when the housing would begin to open in phases.

We’ll be watching for new updates, so keep following AllEars!