Disney announces plans to build residential community in Chatham County

PITTSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Walt Disney Company is going to build a residential community in North Carolina.

Storyliving by Disney is the brand behind this new development. The idea is to build a vibrant community anchored by "the magic of Walt Disney Imagineering and presented with Disney service that puts you at the center of everything."

This is just the second Storyliving by Disney community in the works. The first is outside of Los Angeles.

Asteria, will be the name of the new community, which will begin selling homes in 2027 as part of the Chatham Park development. The community will be northeast of Pittsboro along the Haw River between highways 64 and 501.

Chatham Park began construction about nine years ago. The development company behind the initiative said it is an honor to be on Disney's map.

"People are looking for a place to put a site for a new factory or office, and I think they're going to look at Chatham County. Pittsboro is going to move up in their list of places to be just because Disney is locating there, so I think it's a big plus," developer Tim Smith said. "In the next five years, we'll be selling between 750 and 1,000 homes a year just in Chatham Park."

Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Dasher said he was thrilled to hear Disney was bringing a special opportunity to the area.

"We are excited to learn that Storyliving by Disney selected Pittsboro, North Carolina, for its second residential community in the United States. Chatham County looks forward to working with the Town of Pittsboro, Disney, Chatham Park, and DMB Development as the Asteria community comes to life in the coming years," Dasher said. "This announcement is the latest major economic development project to choose Chatham County. We are thrilled about the innovative and unique lifestyle that this community will offer our residents as well as a variety of great jobs for our local and regional workforce."

Asteria will have 1,500 acres filled with more than 4,000 residential units. The units will include single- and multi-family homes, and they will have some sites specifically designated for adults 55 years and older.

"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," said Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Signature Experiences Emerging Businesses. "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."

Community members will have access to amenities such as a recreation center, restaurant, sports courts, swimming pools, and more. The amenities will feature enrichment programming that only Disney can deliver.

"We're looking forward to collaborating with Disney to bring another Storyliving by Disney community to life," said DMB Development CEO Brent Herrington. "Just as the desert setting inspired our teams with the Cotino community, North Carolina's rich landscape and history is at the heart of our initial planning work with Walt Disney Imagineering. We've got a lot of great ideas to showcase the beauty of this area."

Sale information for homes in the Asteria community has not been released yet. To stay up-to-date on details about the community, join the email list here.

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