Flamingo Crossing AKA Western Way Project

[askmike1]

Ugh!!! I understand Disney wants to make money without building and blah blah blah, but this really takes away from that "isolation effect" that someone before mentioned. I love going to Disney World and "not" being in the state of Florida while I am staying on property. I love that feeling when I leave property to goto Route 4 or Route 192 and re-enter civilization it's the weirdest feeling but I love it. They started this crap by letting McDonalds come on property near the All-Star resorts. I am sorry this is Disney and other corporations don't belong there, that was and always should be the Disney way. It's a real shame they are doing this.

That is not true at all. It started just a few years after the resort opened and they opened what then was the Disney Village. And you also have to keep in mind that almost all the WS restaurants are not run by Disney. Add in the Pleasure Island and West Side of Downtown Disney along with the Rainforest Cafe and you have years and years of Disney allowing other companies on property (I'd guess for over half the resorts lifespan). And then of course its not like your buying Disney Cola, and Disney's Apple Juice... you're buying Coca Cola and Minute Maid Apple Juice.

 

[JasonP]

OK I'll give you that, but letting McDonalds come off of WS property was a bad show for me. When I goto WS I expect to see some civilization since that is on the border of real life, but MCD's near All-Star =( Oh also how many people knew that the shops on Mainstreet were not owned by Disney. For example the glass blower is a separate company.

 

[lsmall4]

All is good...trust Disney folks!

I have complete confidence in the Disney folks. There is a method to their presumed "madness". For example, the Swan and Dolphin were leased out to an outside company for a very good reason: Disney was not in the business of doing conventions and wanted to learn from the best. What better way than to invite the best onto your property and show you how its done. After they learned from them, they took the bull by the horns and added their own convention branch to their own resorts. (We learned this on a backstage tour...well worth it, btw). We also learned that the balloon and gadget vending during the parades and fireworks are an outside company...it's true! Those vendors are not Disney employees! Who knew? The Flamingo project is closer the the Orange Tree Resort than it is anything Disney. I drive this stretch quite often...it is outside the farthest west entrance to Disney. It will absolutely, in no way shape or form, take away from the Disney experience. I, for one, am kind of glad they're doing it. It may lead to them paving some currently very bumpy dirt roads and easier for me to get to Disney. Cheers!

 

[MiklCraw4d]

I have complete confidence in the Disney folks. There is a method to their presumed "madness". For example, the Swan and Dolphin were leased out to an outside company for a very good reason: Disney was not in the business of doing conventions and wanted to learn from the best. What better way than to invite the best onto your property and show you how its done. After they learned from them, they took the bull by the horns and added their own convention branch to their own resorts. (We learned this on a backstage tour...well worth it, btw).

That's pretty hilarious that they explained it that way... they really can spin anything....

 

[WDWtraveler]

Orlando Sentinel update as of Monday, May 16, 2016, page D3. (I try not to start new threads, so I find one that is most appropriate for updating. This one was about the original development anyway.)

"Disney Plans Development
by Sandra Pedicini, Staff Writer.
Disney has submitted a plan to Orange County for 1,300 apartments for college students and 150,000 square feet of commercial development on 154 acres west of State Road 429 around Flamingo Crossing Boulevard.
The county's technical review group will discuss the plans Wednesday.
The County Commission will vote June 28 to deannex the land from Reedy Creek, the Disney-controlled taxing district.
Disney says it is looking at a variety of options for development, including the possibility of college housing.
Disney already has housing for interns and participants in the Disney College Program."

 

[Bolt]

Orlando Sentinel update as of Monday, May 16, 2016, page D3.

"Disney Plans Development
by Sandra Pedicini, Staff Writer.
Disney has submitted a plan to Orange County for 1,300 apartments for college students and 150,000 square feet of commercial development on 154 acres west of State Road 429 around Flamingo Crossing Boulevard.
The county's technical review group will discuss the plans Wednesday.
The County Commission will vote June 28 to deannex the land from Reedy Creek, the Disney-controlled taxing district.
Disney says it is looking at a variety of options for development, including the possibility of college housing.
Disney already has housing for interns and participants in the Disney College Program."

This is amazing. Keep them closer to property. Having them drive from 535 to I4 to work is an awful route.

 

[marni1971]

This is backtracking. Oopsie.

But I guess that's the economy for you.

 

[ford91exploder]

All is good...trust Disney folks!

I have complete confidence in the Disney folks. There is a method to their presumed "madness". For example, the Swan and Dolphin were leased out to an outside company for a very good reason: Disney was not in the business of doing conventions and wanted to learn from the best. What better way than to invite the best onto your property and show you how its done. After they learned from them, they took the bull by the horns and added their own convention branch to their own resorts. (We learned this on a backstage tour...well worth it, btw). We also learned that the balloon and gadget vending during the parades and fireworks are an outside company...it's true! Those vendors are not Disney employees! Who knew? The Flamingo project is closer the the Orange Tree Resort than it is anything Disney. I drive this stretch quite often...it is outside the farthest west entrance to Disney. It will absolutely, in no way shape or form, take away from the Disney experience. I, for one, am kind of glad they're doing it. It may lead to them paving some currently very bumpy dirt roads and easier for me to get to Disney. Cheers!

Yeah the method is a cheap money grab,

For the details on the Swan and Dolphin I recommend reading Disney War, It was an attempt by 'Bad Eisner' to cheap out on hotels by having Tishman construct and manage all new hotels for Disney, Only it failed because Tishman wanted to build generic buildings and even 'Bad Eisner' thought that was a non-starter so Tishman was allowed to build 2 hotels with Disney approval of the design.

 

[PhotoDave219]

This is backtracking. Oopsie.

But I guess that's the economy for you.

Well then they'd probably look to sell some of the CP housing they have. Chatham is in a great neighborhood who's prices keep going up, with all the development around it.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Well then they'd probably look to sell some of the CP housing they have. Chatham is in a great neighborhood who's prices keep going up, with all the development around it.

Chatham and Patterson are both very nice. Vista would probably get demoed. It's far too big a complex for even low rent housing.

 

[castlecake2.0]

Interested to learn more about the college housing, as current options are beyond capacity. We were told last year that in the next few years our housing situation would see some big changes, I wonder if this what they were talking about? Does anyone know more about the current CP housing area "Little Lake Bryan" and its relation to Disney?

 

[Biff215]

Interested to learn more about the college housing, as current options are beyond capacity. We were told last year that in the next few years our housing situation would see some big changes, I wonder if this what they were talking about? Does anyone know more about the current CP housing area "Little Lake Bryan" and its relation to Disney?

I don't know the details, but Disney has owned and operated a CM retreat in that area for many years. The newer CP complexes over there were just being built when I was there in spring 2000. I always wondered if Disney actually owned the complexes.

Sad to see more land being deannexed even though it's out on the edges of the property.

 

[halltd]

I'm always flabbergasted when Disney de-annexes land. To me it doesn't show the vision Walt originally had for the land and why he bought up so much. It should be cherished, not just sold off. I just don't get it.

 

[WDW1974]

This is backtracking. Oopsie.

But I guess that's the economy for you.

And dredging up a nine-year-old thread. I wasn't even here back then ...
As to the news, I dropped this on my thread ... TWDC hasn't been successful at all in making this area a low-rent, Disney version of 192 as they had hoped, so the dumping and rezoning of land makes sense.

 

[halltd]

...TWDC hasn't been successful at all in making this area a low-rent, Disney version of 192 as they had hoped, so the dumping and rezoning of land makes sense.

It's not like they've tried very hard.

 

[Progress.City]

As WDW shrinks and sells itself off, USO is expanding and adding new parcels...

 

[Bolt]

As WDW shrinks and sells itself off, USO is expanding and adding new parcels...

This isn't too much of a selling off loss and its housing a couple thousand of its own. It would be worse if it was just apartments for anyone.