3 days ago
First phase of Disney's Asteria community gets go-ahead from NC town
The first phase of Disney's North Carolina development cleared its first hurdle when the Pittsboro Town Board unanimously approved a preliminary plat Monday for the Asteria community.
Asteria General Manager Matt Dean, with Arizona-based DMB Development, introduced the project team, but did not offer more details about the 1,550-acre Storyliving by Disney project that will be built northeast of the U.S. 15-501-U.S. 64 interchange.
'We're excited to bring forward this Asteria phase one preliminary plat application to the town and look forward to building a meaningful and long-term relationship with you for years to come,' Dean said.
The commissioners did not ask any questions before voting 5-0 to approve the 217-acre preliminary plat.
It includes 494 single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes and quadplexes along tree-lined streets. Roughly 25 acres on the neighborhood's eastern border, near the Haw River, are designated for a 'commons area.'
The project also includes more than 29 acres of open space, mostly along the site's stream buffers, and 18 acres of public park land that will be built in another section of Chatham Park.
DMB Development paid $23.3 million for the site in March — the first of nine planned building sites that could eventually add 4,000 homes between Chatham Park's Mosaic mixed-use district and the Haw River.
Asteria comprises roughly 18% of the 8,500-acre Chatham Park development, which could nearly double Chatham County's population, bringing about 60,000 people, 22,000 homes and 22 million square feet of business, medical and commercial construction.
Disney Imagineers are working with DMB Development to plan recreation facilities and project amenities, including parks, a clubhouse, wellness and recreation center, restaurant, swimming pools, trails and community garden, as well as special Disney-themed events, artist-led classes and storytelling dinners.
Disney could design, own and operate less than 55 acres of 'core amenities' in Asteria, according to an April 2024 letter sent to the nonprofit Haw River Assembly.
One of the biggest concerns for Pittsboro residents is how the community will coexist with the Haw River and the surrounding forest, downtown business owners and residents told The News & Observer last week.
Most of Asteria could meet the same construction and conservation requirements as Chatham Park, which has been criticized by some residents and local environmentalists for clear-cutting, erosion and stormwater runoff.
A smaller portion is outside the Chatham Park planned development area and would be subject to town rules.
The next step for DMB Development is working with builders to incorporate town board feedback into detailed plans, including proposed landscaping and architecture. Town staff will review those plans and sign off on construction.
The project would only come back to the town board if there are major changes.
Pittsboro town spokesman Colby Sawyer has said the town does not have a timeline for its process, but Disney officials have said the first Asteria homes could go on the market by 2027.
