COMMENTARY – In Celebration, Some are Losing Faith in Disney
(Orlando Sentinel) -- When considering a move a few years ago, I looked at Celebration. I could put up with the ridicule from my colleagues. I could put up with bylaws dictating that all curtains exposed to the street be white. But I couldn't get over Osceola. I would not plunk down my life savings on a small enclave of "new ur-banism" surrounded by old tourism. Lurking just outside the nice neighborhoods and chic (if completely im-practical) downtown was US Highway 192 in all its gaudiness. Could Celebration survive, long term, in the very heart of Osceola's low-income service economy? Once the novelty wore off, would demand stay strong for a community that is across the street from Water Mania? Celebration has indeed held its own. The reason is Disney. The same Disney that spawned the blight on US 192 also provided its residents a psychological barrier against it. Trust the name Disney. Now some residents wonder how far to take this trust. Disney is ask-ing Osceola County for permission to almost double the number of hotel rooms allowed in Celebration, from 1,039 to 2,039. It also wants to put in 150 time-share units. Some residents feel betrayed. "We were sold on the original statement that 'Celebration will be a place where you can live and work,' " wrote resident Rod Owens in a flier to his neighbors. "We invested our hard-earned money in that concept. We want to be a town, not a vacation destination." Imagine people moving to Interstate 4 and U.S. 192 and being shocked at the pos-sibility of hotels nearby. But Disney's customers have fallen so much in love with Disney's vision that they are ready to battle Disney to protect it. Disney's Celebration manager Perry J. Reader sent out a letter telling resi-dents to trust Disney's commitment to Celebration. "We believe that the mixed-use sites and [a planned] luxury resort will complement Celebration," he wrote. He went on to say that Disney might request more changes in the future. Given Disney's overriding commitment to making money, that kicker would set off my alarm bell if I had bought into Celebration. This community's value is based on its isolation from that which surrounds it. Each hotel and time share, no matter how luxurious, blurs the boundary.
(Orlando Sentinel) -- When considering a move a few years ago, I looked at Celebration. I could put up with the ridicule from my colleagues. I could put up with bylaws dictating that all curtains exposed to the street be white. But I couldn't get over Osceola. I would not plunk down my life savings on a small enclave of "new ur-banism" surrounded by old tourism. Lurking just outside the nice neighborhoods and chic (if completely im-practical) downtown was US Highway 192 in all its gaudiness. Could Celebration survive, long term, in the very heart of Osceola's low-income service economy? Once the novelty wore off, would demand stay strong for a community that is across the street from Water Mania? Celebration has indeed held its own. The reason is Disney. The same Disney that spawned the blight on US 192 also provided its residents a psychological barrier against it. Trust the name Disney. Now some residents wonder how far to take this trust. Disney is ask-ing Osceola County for permission to almost double the number of hotel rooms allowed in Celebration, from 1,039 to 2,039. It also wants to put in 150 time-share units. Some residents feel betrayed. "We were sold on the original statement that 'Celebration will be a place where you can live and work,' " wrote resident Rod Owens in a flier to his neighbors. "We invested our hard-earned money in that concept. We want to be a town, not a vacation destination." Imagine people moving to Interstate 4 and U.S. 192 and being shocked at the pos-sibility of hotels nearby. But Disney's customers have fallen so much in love with Disney's vision that they are ready to battle Disney to protect it. Disney's Celebration manager Perry J. Reader sent out a letter telling resi-dents to trust Disney's commitment to Celebration. "We believe that the mixed-use sites and [a planned] luxury resort will complement Celebration," he wrote. He went on to say that Disney might request more changes in the future. Given Disney's overriding commitment to making money, that kicker would set off my alarm bell if I had bought into Celebration. This community's value is based on its isolation from that which surrounds it. Each hotel and time share, no matter how luxurious, blurs the boundary.
