Disney Unveils First Model Homes in New California Desert City

Disney’s new living community is getting one step closer to become a reality as three model homes have been built to completion.

The Mouse House announced in 2022 it was launching a new business to develop residential communities known as Storyliving by Disney.

Cotino is the first such community coming to fruition and is located in Rancho Mirage in the Greater Palm Springs area of California. The second Storyliving community is planned for roughly 30 miles west of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Disney opened the doors to media to view the newly built model homes which are located on the Blue Oasis Drive and Purple Iris Way streets in the new area, per the Desert Sun news site.

Built by Shea Homes, which is one of three building companies working on the project, the display homes are part of the home styles in Cotino known as the Oasis, Agrarian and Aspiron collection.

Planned to be available to be viewed by the public in November, the completed model homes had Storyliving vice president Jay Critcher “very pleased”

“We’re really thrilled with the interest that we’ve got,” Critcher told the Desert Sun. “We’re kind of moving from pre-sales into sales, so as we start to release more of our model homes, we start to move into active sales.”

“I think that we have a tremendous loyalty within our brand, and people really respect the brand and and I think that people are anxious in the Coachella Valley to be part of Disney, and so we’re just riding that wave and enjoying it,” he said.

Newsweek contacted The Walt Disney Company’s press team and Critcher by email on Wednesday morning for comment.

The display house in the Oasis collection is a single-story home with about 2,275 square feet, and has two bedrooms. The Agrarian collection house is a two-story building and around 2,820 square feet.

Both display houses are located in the area of Cotino called Longtable Park, which is designated for residents aged 55 years and older.

The Aspiron collection home had 2,925 square feet in a single-story structure and like the other two houses, features a backyard pool.

Disney has not confirmed how many houses it has sold yet but the houses are expected to sell from about $1 million and can go above $2 million.

Critcher confirmed much of the interest in the homes was coming from people living in California, but also from plenty of people around the U.S.

“I think that we have a tremendous loyalty within our brand, and people really respect the brand and I think that people are anxious in the Coachella Valley to be part of Disney, and so we’re just riding that wave and enjoying it,” he said.

Cotino will have 1,932 planned homes across more than 600 acres and features of the new community would include a 24-acre lagoon, a sandy beach, water sports and a promenade. A dining and shopping area would be open to the public, as would the beach, but non-residents would have to purchase a day pass to access the beach.

Access to the beaches would come at an extra fee, as would access to other lifestyle features.

“Through a club membership, Disney will also provide access to curated experiences, such as wellness programming; entertainment ranging from live performances to cooking classes; philanthropic endeavors; seminars and much more,” the company said.

Josh D’Amaro, chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, said the Storyliving project was a way to bring Disney into people’s everyday lives.

“For nearly 100 years, Disney has shared stories that have touched the hearts and minds of people all around the world,” he said in 2022 when Storyliving was launched. “As we prepare to enter our second century, we are developing new and exciting ways to bring the magic of Disney to people wherever they are, expanding storytelling to storyliving. We can’t wait to welcome residents to these beautiful and unique Disney communities where they can live their lives to the fullest.”