News on Disney’s “Western Beltway Development”.
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting this morning that Disney has filed paperwork requesting to begin work excavating a 330 acre area for future development. Earlier this year, rumors swirled that the new project was going to be a shopping area along the lines of Downtown Disney, but less upscale. The Sentinel’s story seems to confirm that to a certain degree…
The grading application filed Thursday with South Florida Water Management District publicly names the area as “Western Beltway Development,” defines it as 330 acres and identifies it with maps. The application includes a consultant’s report that says the site likely would be for “hotels, clubs, restaurants and similar tourist commercial use.”
While this is certainly not something that guarantees construction of the rumored area, it does seem to confirm the concept. While I am not sure if Walt Disney World truly needs another shopping and dining district, I will reserve judgment until more details are revealed. A concept alone is not enough to go on.
I would assume that a Disney Vacation Club resort would accompany this new construction, but that is also only a rumor. The paperwork says “hotels” and not timeshare properties, which is very different from a permit standpoint.