Storyliving by Disney has announced plans for its second community with Asteria, a new residential development located near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Following Cotino, which is under development in Rancho Mirage, California, the Asteria community is in the beginning stages of planning with Walt Disney Imagineering and DMB Development. Homes in the community will be built by select home builders with sales anticipated to begin by 2027.
“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,” says 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.”
The community will come to life on 1,500 acres in North Carolina’s Chatham County in the town of Pittsboro. It will be part of the larger Chatham Park master-planned community by Preston Development Co., co-founded by Julian “Bubba” Rawl and Tim Smith.
Plans call for more than 4,000 residential units, including single-family and multifamily homes, with some sites specifically designated for 55-plus adults.
“For nearly 15 years, Chatham Park has set the standard for innovative growth and thoughtful planning,” says Rawl. “We feel an extraordinary sense of responsibility to our residents and the broader community with this project, and we’re incredibly fortunate to work with Disney, DMB Development, and home builders to create something truly special.”
Courtesy Storyliving by Disney
Aerial rendering of Asteria, a new Storyliving by Disney community recently announced in North Carolina.
The team at Walt Disney Imagineering has spent time researching, visiting, and immersing themselves in the region to develop the Asteria community’s theme. Influenced by the nearby universities in the Research Triangle, the community is envisioned as a campus of discovery—a place for exploring and learning.
A range of home styles will line quaint streets leading to a mix of community amenities designed to showcase the area’s surrounding natural beauty.
“We had an incredible time developing the creative brand and story for Asteria, the new Storyliving by Disney community,” says Shawn Montague, site portfolio executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “We chose the community’s name to pay homage to the native North Carolina aster flower. The flower is also a namesake of the Greek goddess Asteria, whose tears of stardust fell to the Earth and sprouted the first aster flowers. We thought it was a beautiful way to honor North Carolina’s natural beauty from the earth to the sky, in our campus of discovery.”
Asteria homeowners will become part of a club with amenities planned to include a wellness and recreation center, a restaurant, sport courts, swimming pools, a community garden, and plenty of outdoor space for lawn games, events, and fire pits. The club will feature Disney enrichment programming, including storytelling dinners inspired by Disney tales, lessons with Disney artists, and family fun days with Disney-themed activities.
“We’re looking forward to collaborating with Disney to bring another Storyliving by Disney community to life,” says 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.”
