Walt Disney World’s affordable, or attainable, housing project is nearing final approval before a planned construction start timeframe of later this year. The project, which was first introduced in April 2022, has two hearings before construction on the site can begin. The first hearing will be for the Local Planning Agency, and final approval will come from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.
Hearing Dates for Walt Disney World’s Affordable Housing Project
We’ve been covering Walt Disney World’s affordable housing plans from the first announcement, including public meetings and an initial hearing in front of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). Along the way, the project has faced friction from local residents, and even some county commissioners. Despite the friction, the BCC sent the application to the state for approval before a final hearing. Following a thumbs-up from the state, there are two hearings left before construction can begin.
As a reminder, the project is seeking a rezoning to allow for an annexed portion of land previously controlled by the Reedy Creek Improvement District to be zoned to allow for the construction of apartments built by The Michaels Organization. Essentially, this is a two-step process, first expanding Horizon West Spacial Planning Area to the annexed land, and then assigning it a designation of “Village” for future land use to allow the land to be developed.
The proposal entails the development of a mixed‐income multi‐family community with up to 1,410 dwelling units and related amenities. The applicant has confirmed that 75 percent of these units (up to 1,057 apartment homes) will be reserved for individuals and families with incomes in the range of 50% ‐ 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI). These reserved units will meet Orange County’s definition of Affordable Housing and will help further the goals of Orange County’s Housing for All 10‐Year Action Plan, which aims to preserve and create 30,300 affordable and attainable housing units by 2030. Per the applicant, the remaining 25 percent of the proposed multi‐family units will be leased at market rate.
Local Planning Agency Meeting (September 19, 2024)
The Planning and Zoning Commission/Local Planning Agency meeting will be held at the Board of County Commissioners chambers on September 19th from 9am to 5pm. During the meeting, a number of proposals will be heard, including Walt Disney World’s affordable housing project.
Staff recommendation is that the LPA approve the proposal from Walt Disney World for the affordable housing project. There are 23 conditions attached to the approval, but none of which appear to pose a significant risk to the viability of the project.
Board of County Commissioners Adoption (October 8, 2024)
A Board of County Commissioners meeting is currently tentatively scheduled for October 8th. During the meeting, the Board of County Commissioners would discuss and adopt agenda items from the September 19th LPA meeting. An agenda for the proposed October 8th meeting isn’t available and likely wouldn’t be finalized until after the September 19th LPA meeting.
The community will feature two entrances along Hartzog Road and one on Avalon Road. Adjustments to the Avalon Road entrance are already being worked on based on community feedback. Improvements to Avalon Road will more than support the increase in expected traffic from the community, according to officials. There are no planned widening projects for Hartzog Road.
The development will have two amenity buildings and open spaces totaling more than 20 acres. If approved, the project is anticipated to begin construction this fall, open the first units in 2026, and take around 5 years to be fully built out. Disney’s role in the project has been to help with the design and donation of the property. Disney does not stand to directly benefit financially from the project.
Within the community, there will be many small and medium-sized parks for residents to enjoy and a large north-to-south-oriented green space where food trucks, festivals, and art events can be held.
There will be multiple building concepts and designs. As far as living spaces, there will be everything from junior 1-bedroom spaces up to 4-bedroom offerings mixed across housing types such as apartments, flats, and townhome-style layouts. More than 80% of the units will be will be 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments. The junior 1-bedroom suite is proposed to be 576 sqft, and the largest 4-bedroom/3-bath unit would be about 1,900 sqft.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!