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Disney Buys 965 Acres Near Celebration


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This is apparently too new for there to be any speculation yet about what Disney's plans are, so we might as well start speculating ourselves.  ;)

 

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BREAKING: Disney Buys 965 Acres of Ranch Land Near Celebration

December 17, 2018

Disney has purchased the BK Ranch, just southeast of Celebration, for $23 million. The BK Ranch is 965 acres, and is entitled for 3,000 homes and 378,000 square feet of commercial and office spaces.

BK-ranch-1200x675.png

The ranch is located on Old Tampa Highway. It is about a mile west of the Poinciana SunRail station. This was envisioned as a master-planned community that would compete directly with Celebration. The master plan even included plans for a grade school, high school, and parks.

The property has been for sale for over a decade. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by the current owners to get the ranch properly zoned and permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District.

While another Celebration-type development sounds like an interesting proposition, this land most likely will never be developed according to sources. Jerry McGratty, broker/owner of Westhampton Realty, believes that Disney wants the land for water management needs and conversation. He “does not believe they will ever develop it” and that it will “stay in the same pristine shape it has always been in.”

We will continue to update you on any additional information about this property and Disney’s plans for it.

 

https://wdwnt.com/2018/12/breaking-disney-buys-965-acres-of-ranch-land-near-celebration/?fbclid=IwAR0qrMsWtmCPBDbSIJxR_CMh0TWX0QZtcnhlXfCKojHGmb6mJUVhN7PF2cQ

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16 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

There is already activity on Flamingo Crossings and Western Way.

Yep!  This article was posted today...

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Disney Breaks Ground on New College Program Housing at Flamingo Crossings

 
by MIKE
 

American Campus Communities and Walt Disney World Resort are teaming up to provide a new housing development for Cast Members attending the Disney College Program. The $630 million residential community will add 10,400 beds, two 25,000-square-foot community centers, resort-style pools, and more. 

new-college-program-housing-ground-break

In addition, the development will include the Disney Education Center within the housing community, providing unprecedented integration for program participants to engage in ‘uniquely Disney’ learning experiences and the ability to earn up to nine credit hours in college coursework. Program residents will also have access to resources for academic success, including group and private study rooms, computers with free printing, and Wifi.

“The college students who have been part of our college and internship programs have helped make magic for millions of our Guests for more than three decades,” said Kristi Breen, vice president of Disney International Campus Programs. “We are pleased to join our friends at American Campus Communities to break ground on this new residential community for our future participants.”

According to permits filed with the state, the new development will take place south of Western Way.

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Permit filed with the state for the new College Program housing
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Composite image of satellite imagery and the permit

The community will be delivered in multiple phases, with the first phase scheduled for occupancy in May 2020 when students from Disney Internships & Programs will begin moving in from existing housing facilities. The community is expected to be completed by May 2023.

 

http://blogmickey.com/2018/12/disney-breaks-ground-on-new-college-program-housing-at-flamingo-crossings/?fbclid=IwAR2R7XAVN2Ct6hsjQz_6vC0gZLDtc_2JuUA-vlSHmE7OL5RPCjW9PuNjeeI

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  • 4 weeks later...

But wait, there's more...

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BREAKING: Disney Acquires Even More Osceola County Land for $11 Million

January 9, 2019
Brown estate acquisition
Back in December, we reported on Disney’s monumental, 965-acre land purchase through the acquisition of BK Ranch, just southeast of Celebration, for $23 million.

BK ranch acquisition

Now it turns out that Disney has purchased even more land adjacent to the plot: a whopping 1,500+ acres to the east of BK Ranch.

Per GrowthSpotter, the land was owned by the descendants of legendary cattle rancher Oren Brown, who refused to sell Disney his land during the park’s initial construction. Oren brown died in 1993. Most of the remaining ranch property was sold on January 3rd, 2019 for 11 million dollars.

As with the BK Ranch land, this land will most likely be used for water conservation and wetland mitigation. That being said, the need for more land for these purposes would indicate further expansion inside the existing Walt Disney World property.

Brown estate acquisition

In an interview with GrowthSpotter, John Adams, a partner with Central Florida Land Advisors stated:

“The BK Ranch was entitled for 3,000 homes. There were no entitlements on this property, and that was reflected in the sales price.”

So that explains why the cost was far lower compared to the BK Ranch, which had been rezoned for a master-planned, mixed-use development and had active permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District.

https://wdwnt.com/2019/01/disney-acquires-even-more-osceola-county-land-for-11-million/?fbclid=IwAR1SnirWqBAvmrmFxIxUjj3jiuPx7ooQ0kDawuRUgLEhnUldnoUSNxzM5jI

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