Outrage at Disney-backed project to add more than ONE THOUSAND apartments in Orlando - as furious locals warn it will pack new residents into a space the size of a 'parking lot'

Disney's first-ever affordable housing project is facing pushback from locals due to prospective traffic and school crowding. 

Announced in April 2022, the complex will bring 1,410 apartments to the Orlando-area, not far from the theme parks. The site, located near a shopping center just west of the Magic Kingdom, clocks in at a whopping 80 acres. 

The plan is to offer housing opportunities to cast members and families in the 80 percent Area Median Income (AMI) range - about $49,150 to $90,000.  

Roughly 1,000 of the apartments will be affordable housing units, and only 11 percent of those will be allocated for families at the lowest allowable income. 

The project was met with warmer reception when it was announced two years ago, in the midst of a national housing crisis. Now, residents are singing a different tune - with one saying the project will effectively corral him and his neighbors into a literal corner.

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Announced in April 2022, the complex will bring 1,410 apartments to the Orlando-area, not far from the company's theme parks

The construction site, located near a shopping center just west of the Magic Kingdom, clocks in at 80 acres

The project was met with warmer reception when it was announced two years ago, in the midst of a national housing crisis. Now, residents of Horizon West are singing a different tune - with one saying the project will effectively corral him and neighbors into a literal corner

'My family and I, we moved here, after an exhaustive research, knowing full well that Disney would be our neighbor,' Alex Cabrera told the Orlando Sentinel Monday, months after moving to a home in a town two miles from the construction site. 

'We just never thought they'd be bad neighbors,' he added.

At a planning and zoning board meeting last month, the Horizon West resident claimed Disney is 'trying to pack an enormous amount of density into what is essentially the size of a Costco parking lot' - speaking for some 50,000 residents.

'It's just way too much,' he went on, months after Disney rep shared project details in the same room back in September, sparking unease among many attendees.

'There is a lot of care being put into making this a great community for the people who will live here,' Kathy Hattaway told locals 30 miles west of the city of Orlando.

An Orange County staff report described the tone of the meeting as 'mixed' due to objections and concerns - the first hint of what was to come.

Meanwhile, more than 100 people attended that meeting, after which several expressed concerns to commissioners in Orange County via email.

'Orange County has already allowed far too many high-density housing complexes in this area,' Horizon West resident Mike Finnan wrote at the time, adding 'current students are [already] being under-served as local schools are overcrowded and understaffed. 

'Future schools are already projected to be over capacity,' he went on, claiming: 'Infrastructure and emergency services are already stretched.'

The plan is to offer housing opportunities to people in the 80 percent Area Median Income range - $49,150 to $90,000

The project was met with warmer reception when it was announced two years ago, in the midst of a national housing crisis. Pictured: The stretch of road on State Road 429 where developers will break ground

'[Disney is] trying to pack an enormous amount of density into what is essentially the size of a Costco parking lot' a Horizon West resident at a planning and zoning board meeting said, speaking for some 50,000 residents

'Future schools are already projected to be over capacity,' he went on, also forecasting traffic as a future effect: 'Infrastructure and emergency services are already stretched'

Despite these concerns, Disney’s affordable housing project was narrowly passed by a vote from the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission in February, by a margin of 4-3.

At the time, Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Walt Disney World director of external affairs, attempted to quell concerns such as Finnan's and Cabrera's.

 'We are working very thoughtfully alongside a prominent developer to create a place that strengthens the surrounding area while making a real difference in people's lives for years to come,' she said, as the planning board narrowly passed it February 15.

Just before, the planning board even acknowledged neighbor concerns and suggested developers scale the project back a little, but proceeded to pass the ordinance anyway.

The decision, more than a month later, has paved the way for another vote Tuesday, where commissioners are set to decide to appeal the project, bringing it to the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee.

It's either that, or the proposal goes back to its planning stages - an outcome that Stephen Lewis, president & CEO of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, praised in a Monday email. 

'Currently many of the businesses we represent are struggling to recruit and retain workers due to the limited supply of affordable and attainable housing in Orange County,' he told the Sentinel Monday, ahead of the all-important vote.

Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Walt Disney World director of external affairs, has attempted to quell concerns, promising at a board meeting last month to 'strengthen the surrounding area while making a real difference in people's lives for years to come'

'Ensuring affordable housing is available for West Orange residents is critical to the success of our county and will help grow small businesses and bring long-awaited amenities to the residents of Horizon West.'

The amenities mentioned, meanwhile, will be much more bare bones than the luxury residential community elsewhere in Orange County, called Golden Oak.

Also built by Disney, the sold-out development boasts a private clubhouse and an array of amenities, including golfing. 

It costs homeowners who fork over millions an additional $6,600 annual, assessment, as well as an additional $19,000 for a mandatory membership to its Golden Oak Private Club.

In contrast, an affordable one-bedroom apartment in the proposed development would cost a low-income renter roughly $900 a month, some $650 less than the cost of the average one-bedroom unit elsewhere in Orlando.

Disney, moreover, has said that while cast members will be allowed to apply for housing, they will not be given preference over other families. 

The amenities mentioned, meanwhile, will be much more bare bones than the luxury residential community elsewhere in Orange County, called Golden Oak, which offers homes with a price tag of up to $12million 

In contrast, an affordable one-bedroom apartment in the proposed development would cost a low-income renter roughly $900 a month, some $650 less than the cost of the average one-bedroom unit elsewhere in Orlando

If approved, the first units - seen here in a an artist's rendition of the project - could be built as soon as 2026. A crucial vote is slated for Tuesday

Still, the non-cast member-exclusive housing will help teachers, Clinton McCracken, head of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, affirmed in a letter of support sent to Orange County's Mayor and all six county commissioners this week,

Speaking on behalf of about 14,000 educators, he said: 'As you are aware, while teachers and other instructional personnel are dedicated to their profession, we often find it difficult to purchase a home or afford housing on our salaries.

'Furthermore, as cost continues to rise throughout the country, but particularly in Central Florida, we would be remiss if we didn’t contemplate how the lack of affordable housing affects our students and their families.' 

In the interim, Disney has already agreed to a 75-year lease of the land for the project to The Michaels Organization, a New Jersey-based affordable housing developing firm.

Disney World Director of External Affairs, Ancora-Brown last month revealed the company will build, own and operate the development, which will be privately financed and will pay all required impact fees, even though fee waivers are typically available for such projects, she said. 

Those impact fees - which cover the costs of the prospective impact the development will have on parks, public safety, roads and schools - are estimated at more than $8 million.

She has also reiterated that the developer will not seek financial help from the county’s affordable-housing trust fund. If approved, the first units could be built as soon as 2026.