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Web site says Disney World to develop land on west side


The resort is planning retail, dining, hotel and time-share projects, MiceAge.com reports.



Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer

November 8, 2006



Walt Disney World's plans for its newly opened western entrance may go beyond just bringing in tourist traffic and could include a large new retail and hotel development area on the resort's west side, according to a report Tuesday on a Web site.

Disney is not acknowledging any such plans. And a spokeswoman declined to respond to the report, posted on an independent Web site that features Disney news and discussions. The account details plans for a large retail and hotel zone near the new interchange of State Road 429 and Western Way.

Prospects for such a project surprise few who follow development at Disney or in southwestern Orange County. The roads and the interchange on Disney's west side are new. The utility lines are installed. And development and steady traffic growth are expected up and down the S.R. 429 corridor over the next couple of decades.

"It's a logical site. It makes great sense for development," said retail specialist John Crossman of Crossman & Co.

The Web site MiceAge.com reported Tuesday that it had obtained details of a plan Disney calls the "Western Beltway Development Project."

It calls for shopping, dining, hotel and time-share projects in Walt Disney World's largely undeveloped west side, near the S.R. 429 interchange. The area could rival Downtown Disney in size and scope, the Web site reports, but is several years away.

The timetable makes sense to C. Ray Maxwell, administrator of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government district that oversees Walt Disney World. Maxwell said he has not seen or heard of specific plans for the area and is not aware that any exist. But he said development is likely there over time.

When Western Way was built last year, Reedy Creek extended utility lines along the road to prepare for development on Disney's west side.

"I do know they are looking at options of what they can do with that property," Maxwell said. "It's all zoned commercial so they could put some hotels or time shares or just about anything they wanted. But there's nothing imminent there at all."

Orange County Commissioner Teresa Jacobs, whose district includes Disney World, said she also has heard of no specific plans for that part of Disney; but she, too, would not be surprised to see it develop.

Andrea Finger, spokeswoman for Walt Disney Imagineering, the Disney group that would plan such a development, said, "We've always looked at this area as an additional gateway to the property. At this time we have nothing to announce."

S.R. 429, also known as the Western Beltway, opened through the area in December. Western Way, Disney's new road connecting a Western Beltway interchange to Disney World's road network, opened in March.

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441

Hey! That's the new road I told ya'll about, post back on Wednesday, July 05, 2006, "How do you get to Disney World?" Darn !!! Now that road is going to be all jamed up.

Here is a link to an article

http://miceage.com/kevinyee/ky110706a.htm

Do they really need more retail space.. how about they invest the money in the parks!


Rich

What I'd like to know is how often are they at capacity in their resorts, because althoygh I'm assuming they're always busy I'd imagine there are only a few brief periods throughout the year where they are at capacity for lodging. It seems like a hard sell to me to put up a new resort, but then again it seems like an even harder sell to build a new park. I say that with sadness but honesty. With or without a new park WDW will draw the crowds, heck even with or without new rides soon they'd still draw the crowds - it's the people like us who get really excited about a new attraction because we (generally anyone who takes the time to view these pages) know more about the parks and in many instances I would gather have been to them more times and more often than the average person. To the average buyer though who goes once every few years if not longer...or once period they don't need the new park features springing up constantly to see the changes and Disney sees that. I really feel like from a business standpoint there's not much more that they can do in WDW for expansion right now and still turn a profit over the cost of the expansion.

Oh boy, just what Orlando needs...another strip mall!

Captain Schnemo wrote:Oh boy, just what Orlando needs...another strip mall!

Finally! A shopping opportunity in Orlando! It makes me think "...there is hope for the future. When the world is ready for a new and better life, all this will someday come to pass, in God's good time. "

Ok, J/K. But maybe with more hotels, the prices will go down...?

It might be kinda cool with. Will this be another DownTown Disney-like area?

I used that route, when I drove down in August, and it is great that there is nothing out there....Also some pretty cool views of the MK in the distance...I would hate to see this area get all clogged up like 192........

element771 wrote:It might be kinda cool with. Will this be another DownTown Disney-like area?

From what the article says its not going to be. More like a low-end marketplace....

Rich

A low end market place? What are we talking about here? A grocery store and maybe a cheap toystore? How about putting a Wal-Mart?

Actually, I'm excited to see new hotels put up in hopes the prices go down. But what's the chances of that?

That's great news!! I'm so glad we're not gonna run out of shoppind at Disney!! Now if they'd only put some money into.......I DON'T KNOW MAINTENANCE!!!!!!!!

Does anybody know if there has been any update to this information?

NO NO NO! NOT MORE HOTELS! They need to build another PARK... or at least work on the ones that have now.

It would make so much more sense to invest these dollars in the crown jewels they already have. The parks are in serious need of maintenance and some general clean up. However, as we all know here, most guests would not notice that kind of thing so Disney certainly will not spend the money unless they see immediate capital. Shame really.