Disney has announced that they are “earmarking nearly 80 acres of our land for a new affordable housing development.” This announcement comes at a time when Disney has been under a lot of scrutiny and Florida’s Governor DeSantis has mentioned removing some of their autonomy.
The development will be constructed by an affordable housing developer and will offer more than 1,300 units. It’s set to be located on land near Flamingo Crossings Town Center. Which will work out nicely for Disney as they will likely shop and dine in the area.
Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle had this to say:
“We are invested in working together with our community to solve complex issues. The lack of affordable housing is affecting many people across our country, including right here in Central Florida. With this initiative, we’re lending a hand to make a real and meaningful impact in our community by tapping into the best of our company’s strengths. This is the right opportunity and the right time to take action.”
Well I’m glad they are trying to do something about affordable housing. Too bad they didn’t do much about the Cast Members who were laid off for months and had to make their own food pantries. But now they are going to work alongside local food banks and other organizations “on the front lines of our challenges our community is solving for.”
This is the video Disney posted about the project:
I wonder how much of this is related to the backlash they got when they announced their Storyliving planned communities geared towards the wealthy?
The development will be open to qualifying applicants in the region, including Disney Cast Members. So tourists that just want to move to the Walt Disney World area to visit the parks every day are not the target demographic for this.
I do find the timing of this announcement interesting, but I’m really happy that they are doing something to help others and especially Cast Members in Central Florida.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Disney Parks Blog
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