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By Lottie McGrath
News Reporter
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Despite local objections against it, Disney recently received the green light for its affordable housing development in Orange County, Florida.
Disney first announced its plans for an affordable housing development in 2022. Working in collaboration with property developer The Michaels Organization, the project hopes to build 1,369 units of mixed-income housing, with 1,000 of these being reserved as "affordable" homes. The new community will be located a few miles away from the Magic Kingdom Park.
On October 8, after a two-hour discussion, Orange County Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of the development on Hartzog Road, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
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This latest vote came after the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-1 on September 19 to move the project forward. The project was then moved forward to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.
Newsweek has reached out to the Orange County Board of Commissioners for comment via email.
All these developments are in spite of the fierce objection levelled against the development by many residents of Horizon West, who live closest to where the proposed development will be. These residents have long claimed that the local infrastructure cannot support the new development and that it will only lead to increased road congestion and pressure on local schools.
However, due to complaints about congestion, the total planned units have now been scaled down to 1,369 from the initial plan of 1,410 units.
The only "no" vote on October 8 came from District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson who represents Horizon West, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Wilson tried to delay the vote, saying that it was unfair that those affected would have to choose between preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Milton and travelling to Orlando to make their objections known.
Newsweek has reached out to Wilson for comment via email.
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The Orlando Sentinel reported that only a few residents turned out to oppose the vote on October 8, but many voiced their objections by email and over 400 signed petitions against it.
One Change.org petition against the development reads: "This project threatens the local environment and quality of life due to the inappropriate location and lack of adequate infrastructure. The area of Horizon West is overdeveloped, is already saturated with apartment development, and infrastructure is not adequate to support the additional 1,400 homes."
Instead, the petition argues that the development should be built in adjacent to Disney College Program Housing at Flamingo Crossing where the necessary infrastructure to support it already exists.
As of Monday morning, the petition had 491 signatures with a goal of 500 signatures.
Meanwhile, Disney has long claimed that the project will "address the critical need for affordable housing."
Reacting to the green light given by Orange County Commissioners, Avery Maehrer from the Disney World Communications team told Newsweek: "Like other communities across the country, we know there are so many people and families throughout Central Florida in need of more affordable housing, which local leaders have identified as one of the most critical challenges facing our region. Today's vote is an important step forward in our efforts to contribute to the solution."
The development is not government funded, with Disney claiming that its "only benefit is contributing to the solution of a problem."
One of the conditions for the approval of the project is that 75 percent of the houses must be available for residents earning between 50 and 100 percent of the median Orlando family income ($90,400).
Describing the "uniquely designed neighborhoods," the development website reads "this community is planned to include a mix of building typologies with a focus on storytelling and the arts, featuring murals and unique elevations that create a distinct look and feel for each neighborhood within the development."
It will be available for Disney cast members as well as qualifying applicants from the Central Florida area.
Adrianna Sekula, representing The Michaels Organization, told the Orlando Sentinel that the project hopes to break ground in 2025 and be completed by the end of the 2027.
Update 10/15/24, 4:49 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Avery Maehrer.
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