Storyliving by Disney
Storyliving by Disney is a Disney-branded real-estate venture developing master-planned residential communities that combine housing, hospitality, recreation, retail, and Disney-inspired experiences.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Storyliving by Disney is a business venture and brand of The Walt Disney Company focused on developing master-planned residential communities outside Disney’s traditional theme-park properties. Announced on February 16, 2022, the concept extends Disney’s expertise in placemaking, hospitality, entertainment, design, and guest experience into long-term residential settings. The developments are intended to be created collaboratively with real-estate partners, while Disney contributes brand stewardship, creative development, Imagineering expertise, programming, and other services. The communities are operated through Disney Living Development, Inc., a subsidiary associated with the Walt Disney Company’s residential-development activities. The concept is designed around the idea that residents can participate in an ongoing Disney-influenced lifestyle rather than visiting a theme park for a short period. Planned features may include residences, hotels, resort amenities, restaurants, retail, clubs, landscaped public spaces, recreation, and programmed community activities. Disney’s role is not simply that of a conventional home builder: the brand proposition relies on the company’s ability to shape coherent environments, create themed or story-driven settings, and provide hospitality and entertainment experiences. The developments therefore occupy a position between private residential communities, resorts, destination hospitality, and branded real estate. Cotino, in Rancho Mirage, California, was selected as the first Storyliving by Disney community. Located in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs and adjacent to the Annenberg Sunnylands estate, Cotino is planned as a 618-acre mixed-use development. Its program includes several types of housing, hotels and resort facilities, a retail district, and a 24-acre central lagoon and oasis. The project is being developed in collaboration with DMB Development LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona. The name Cotino is derived from Cotinus, the botanical genus associated with the smoketree, and also evokes Smoke Tree Ranch, where Walt Disney maintained a home near Palm Springs. Cotino broke ground on April 23, 2022. A first 70-acre tract map received tentative approval from the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission in July 2022. Some local residents raised concerns about the project’s environmental effects, particularly in the context of the Coachella Valley’s prolonged drought. Home sales began in 2023 after Disney and its partners released residential styles and design information. Disney stated in a February 2024 quarterly earnings communication that Cotino was expected to open in 2025. Initial homes were completed and offered for sale by February 2025, with the wider development described as scheduled to open by fall 2025 in the referenced material. Disney Imagineering also disclosed plans for a clubhouse influenced by the Parr family home from the Disney-Pixar film Incredibles 2. The second announced community is Asteria, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Announced in December 2023, Asteria is intended to bring the Storyliving model to a different regional setting and is planned to reflect the natural character of North Carolina. The name refers to the aster flowers native to the state and to the associated Greek mythological imagery of stardust and the sky. Environmental issues delayed construction, but the referenced material states that those issues had been resolved by June 2025 and that the first phase had received approval from the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners. Home sales were expected by 2027, with initial homes targeted for completion in 2027 and the broader development expected to open by fall 2028. Storyliving by Disney remains a developing business rather than a conventional consumer-products brand. Its long-term significance depends on whether Disney can reproduce the consistency, emotional appeal, and operational standards associated with its re…
History
Storyliving by Disney was announced by The Walt Disney Company on February 16, 2022, as a new business venture centered on master-planned residential communities. Rather than building another theme park, Disney proposed applying its creative-development, hospitality, entertainment, and placemaking capabilities to neighborhoods intended for permanent or extended residential use. The venture operates through Disney Living Development, Inc., and relies on collaboration with external real-estate developers. The concept represents an extension of Disney’s longstanding interest in designed environments. Earlier Disney-related residential and resort precedents include Celebration in Florida, Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, and the company’s broader history of combining accommodation, recreation, retail, landscape design, and narrative theming. Storyliving differs from those precedents in its proposed emphasis on communities that function as places to live rather than as components of a theme-park vacation destination. Cotino was selected as the first community. The site is in Rancho Mirage in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs and adjacent to the Annenberg Sunnylands estate. The development occupies approximately 618 acres and is planned to include housing, hotels, resort facilities, retail, and a large central oasis and lagoon. DMB Development LLC, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is Disney’s development collaborator. Cotino’s name comes from Cotinus, the genus of the smoketree, and recognizes the nearby Smoke Tree Ranch associated with Walt Disney. The land has a longer development history. Much of the site corresponds to U.S. land survey Section 31. The property had previously been associated with plans approved under the Eagle Specific Plan, but development did not proceed. Ownership changed over several decades, and the project history included financial difficulties and bankruptcies connected with the Great Recession. The principal portion was acquired in 2018 by EC Rancho Mirage Holdings Limited Partnership, which later worked with DMB Development to reconsider the site. When Disney became involved, the earlier Section 31 project was reworked and rebranded as Cotino. Cotino’s groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 23, 2022. In July of that year, the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission tentatively approved a tract map covering an initial 70-acre portion. The approval process drew opposition from some Coachella Valley residents, who questioned whether the project’s environmental effects had been adequately reconsidered in light of the region’s continuing megadrought. The concerns illustrate the practical challenges facing branded community development: water resources, environmental review, infrastructure, local planning, and housing-market conditions are as important to the project as brand design. Home sales began by December 2023, following the release of information about Cotino’s residential styles and designs. Disney stated during a February 2024 quarterly earnings update that the community was expected to open in 2025. The referenced material reports that the first homes were completed and marketed by February 2025 and that the broader project was planned to open by fall 2025. Imagineering later disclosed that one community clubhouse would draw on the design of the Parr family home from Incredibles 2, demonstrating how the brand could translate recognizable Disney-Pixar visual language into shared residential amenities. In December 2023, Disney announced Asteria, its second Storyliving by Disney community. Asteria is planned for Pittsboro, North Carolina, in the wider area between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Its naming draws on aster flowers native to North Carolina and associated mythological imagery. Disney Imagineering site portfolio executive Shawn Montague explained the name as a reference to the relationship between the earth, the flowers, and the sky. Asteria’s development schedule was affected by environmental matters; the referenced material states that construction had not begun by October 2024, but that the issues were resolved by June 2025 and that the first phase was subsequently approved. Initial home completions and sales were projected for 2027, with the wider community targeted to open by fall 2028. As of the available reference material, Storyliving by Disney is an active and expanding venture with two announced communities. Its future development will depend on the ability of Disney and its partners to manage local approvals, environmental constraints, construction schedules, residential sales, and the operational expectations created by the Disney name.
- 2025
Asteria first-phase approval reported
[1]The referenced material reports that environmental issues had been resolved and that the first phase of Asteria received approval from the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners.
- 2024
Cotino opening target disclosed
[1]Disney identified 2025 as the expected opening year for Cotino in a quarterly earnings communication.
- 2023
Cotino residential sales begin
[1]Sales of homes began after the project’s housing designs and residential styles were released.
- 2023
Asteria announced
[1]Disney announced Asteria in Pittsboro, North Carolina, as the second Storyliving by Disney community.
- 2022
Storyliving by Disney announced
[1]The Walt Disney Company announced a venture to create master-planned residential communities incorporating Disney design, hospitality, programming, and Imagineering capabilities.
- 2022
Cotino groundbreaking
[1]Groundbreaking took place for Cotino, the first Storyliving by Disney community, in Rancho Mirage, California.
- 2022
Initial Cotino tract map receives tentative approval
[1]The Rancho Mirage Planning Commission tentatively approved a tract map for the first 70-acre portion of the development.
Products and positioning
A premium, experience-led residential-development brand that applies Disney’s storytelling, Imagineering, hospitality, and placemaking capabilities to master-planned communities.
Master-planned residential community · 2022
Cotino
Cotino is the first Storyliving by Disney community, located in Rancho Mirage in Southern California’s Coachella Valley. The approximately 618-acre mixed-use plan includes multiple residential options, hotels, resort facilities, retail, and a 24-acre oasis and lagoon. Developed with DMB Development LLC, the project uses Disney and Imagineering expertise to shape shared amenities and community experiences. Its planned facilities include a clubhouse influenced by the Parr residence from Incredibles 2.
Master-planned residential community · 2023
Asteria
Asteria is the second announced Storyliving by Disney community, planned for Pittsboro, North Carolina, near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Its name references aster flowers native to North Carolina and associated celestial mythology. The project has faced environmental and approval-related delays. The referenced material describes first home completions and sales as targeted for 2027, with the wider community targeted to open by fall 2028.
Brand decisions
2023
Announce AsteriaProduct launchBackground
After initiating Cotino, Disney announced a second community to broaden the Storyliving concept into a new regional and environmental setting.
Action taken
Disney named Pittsboro, North Carolina, as the location for Asteria and described plans for a new residential community.
Aftermath
Environmental and permitting matters affected the timetable, with first sales projected for 2027.
2022
Enter branded residential community developmentStrategyBackground
Disney sought to extend its expertise in themed environments, hospitality, design, and entertainment beyond theme parks and resorts.
Action taken
The company created and announced Storyliving by Disney as a venture for collaboratively developed master-planned communities.
Aftermath
Cotino became the first announced community, followed by Asteria in North Carolina.
2022
Select Cotino as the first Storyliving communityProduct launchBackground
Disney partnered with DMB Development LLC to adapt the Rancho Mirage Section 31 site into a branded mixed-use residential development.
Action taken
The company applied Disney and Imagineering capabilities to the Cotino plan, which includes housing, hospitality, retail, recreation, and a lagoon-centered environment.
Aftermath
Groundbreaking occurred in April 2022, followed by planning approval, residential design releases, and home sales.
Recent events
Disney announces Storyliving by Disney residential community business[3]
Reported:
The Walt Disney Company announced plans for Storyliving by Disney, a residential community business. Its first announced community, Cotino, is planned for Rancho Mirage, California, and is to be developed with DMB Development.
Disney announces Storyliving by Disney communities[4]
Reported:
Disney announced Storyliving by Disney, a residential community concept for Disney fans. Its first planned location, Cotino, is in Rancho Mirage, California.
Sources4 sources
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