Over 2 years since it was originally announced, Disney has revealed the first major update on Storyliving Asteria, a new planned community near Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This shares full details of the announcement, concept art of the new Peter Pan-inspired areas, and more.
Let’s start with a quick refresher on the basics of Asteria as originally announced back in late 2023. Asteria, A Storyliving by Disney planned community is inspired by the spirit of discovery and is being designed to encourage exploration of the region’s natural beauty and spark life-long learning.
The Asteria community is in the beginning stages of planning with Walt Disney Imagineering and DMB Development. Homes in the community will be built by select homebuilders with sales anticipated to begin by 2027; the community is expected to welcome its first residents in Fall 2028.
The Asteria community will come to life on 1,500 acres in the heart of North Carolina’s picturesque Chatham County. Ideally situated in the town of Pittsboro, residents will have access to metropolitan amenities with the charm of a small town.
Plans call for more than 4,000 residential units including single-family and multi-family homes, with some home sites specifically designated for 55+ adults. The Asteria community will be part of the larger, award-winning Chatham Park master-planned community by Preston Development Company, co-founded by Julian “Bubba” Rawl and Tim Smith.
The Asteria community will offer future residents a unique lifestyle thanks to distinctive Disney placemaking. A range of home styles will line quaint streets leading to a mix of community amenities designed to showcase the area’s surrounding natural beauty.
Aligning with Chatham Park’s commitment to open green space and to encourage exploration, the community will feature acres of neighborhood parks and miles of beautiful walking and biking trails where residents can connect with the outdoors.
Asteria community homeowners will become part of a club with amenities planned to include a wellness and recreation center, restaurant, sport courts, swimming pools, community garden and plenty of outdoor space for lawn games, events and fire pits.
The club will feature enrichment programming by Disney. Some of the experiences under consideration include storytelling dinners inspired by Disney tales, lessons with Disney artists and family fun days with Disney-themed activities.
The team at Walt Disney Imagineering has spent significant time researching, visiting, and immersing themselves in the region to develop the Asteria community’s unique theme. Influenced by the nearby universities in the famed Research Triangle, the community is envisioned as a campus of discovery – a place for exploring and learning.
Today, we’re sharing all-new details about the social heart of Asteria: Second Star Club. Here’s newly-released concept art from Storyliving of the Second Star Club, followed by Disney’s description of its highlights:
Envisioned as the social heart of the community, the Second Star Club will bring neighbors together through shared spaces, hands‑on learning and everyday moments of discovery.
“To bring Asteria to life, our team is combining the rich traditions of the Piedmont region with the magical storytelling and service that is uniquely Disney,” said Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Storyliving by Disney. “We are especially excited to introduce the Second Star Club — a welcoming gathering place destined to become the heartbeat of this vibrant community. Imagine meeting up with your neighbors for a tennis match, grabbing a bite where the restaurant staff knows your favorite item, or picking up a new hobby thanks to inspiration from a Disney expert.”
Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, the Second Star Club will offer a collection of indoor and outdoor spaces designed for different life stages including families, kids and adults 55+. The club’s name pays homage to the celestial compass in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 1953 classic “Peter Pan.”
The Second Star Club will anchor a constellation of amenities around Aster Green, a central gathering lawn that will stitch together dining, wellness, creative and event spaces.
Signature venues planned for the Second Star Club include:
- Marquet Hall: The club’s two-story signature restaurant will celebrate craftsmanship with engaging design details that inspire members to take a second look including Tinker Bell, who will add a touch of pixie dust to the building’s weather vane. Comfortable indoor and outdoor seating options will be the perfect place to cheer on the home team during the season. Marquet Hall will also include dart boards, ping-pong tables and table-top shuffleboard to keep competitive spirits going.
- Piedmont Proper: A versatile event pavilion with delightful wood details and delicate rosemaling artwork featuring wildlife from beloved Disney stories. This expansive venue will host club events and be available for members to rent for their own celebrations.
- The Studios: These hands-on creative studios will invite members to explore their craft. From learning something new to harnessing their skills, the Studios will feature dedicated spaces equipped with high-tech tools, like laser engravers and fabric printers, supporting local traditions such as woodworking and quilting.
- Wellness Center: A robust fitness and wellness destination that will feature state‑of‑the‑art workout equipment, dedicated lap pool, outdoor sun deck and juice bar designed to support purposeful, healthy living.
- Longtable Lodge: The lodge will provide peace and tranquility for adults 55+ while embracing the spirit of neighborly connection. Featuring a namesake long table, outdoor bocce courts and more, Longtable Lodge will also host dedicated programs and events for adults 55+.
In addition to these venues, the Second Star Club also includes an adult-only pool, family-friendly pool, playground and tennis and pickleball courts.
Across the Second Star Club, Disney storytelling will be woven into the spaces and experiences including nods to characters and themes inspired by Walt Disney’s love of nature and curiosity with references to favorite films like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Bambi” and more.
Among Second Star Club’s most distinctive offerings will be Lost Key Cottage. This first-of-its-kind, storybook-style home will bring the magic of “Peter Pan” to life in a new way.
Every corner of the five-bedroom home will be filled with whimsical details from the film giving members an opportunity to step into the world of Never Land. Lost Key Cottage will be available for members to reserve for overnight stays, to host family gatherings and celebrate milestones together.
Like the Parr House at Cotino, the first Storyliving by Disney community in California, Lost Key Cottage represents Disney’s commitment to creating signature experiences that go far beyond traditional residential amenities, transforming the everyday into the extraordinary.
The Second Star Club is part of Asteria’s first phase of development which includes plans for a sales center, model home village, additional community parks and trails, and an initial release of only 300 home sites. Additional details about homes and homebuilders will be available in the next few months.
Our Commentary
You’ve might’ve noticed that we haven’t covered all of the updates on Storyliving by Disney since the original Cotino announcement. In fact, this is only our third post about Storyliving since Cotino was announced over 4 years ago.
Since then, Cotino by Storyliving opened a couple of hours away from us. (So there’s your update on that: Cotino actually happened–you can buy a home there and move in ASAP!) We still haven’t been out there to see it, but we’ll get around to it the next time we go to Palm Springs, unless we forget.
Our ongoing coverage of Storyliving by Disney has been minimal to nonexistent because, frankly, none of it has been particularly interesting to us. We’re guessing that it’s also not interesting or relevant to many of you, once you get past the surface-level outrage and/or “this is cool.” These are small high-end housing developments, with an initial target audience of 300 families. Dino-Rama might’ve had more fans than that.
We’re nevertheless covering Storyliving Asteria because it’s finally taking shape and Disney has pulled back the curtain on its architecture, which I guess could best be described as ‘Disney Springs Contemporary Meets Storybook Style.’ Not something you see every day, but you might say that it not-so-seamlessly melds the unique charm of Los Feliz and…Irvine?
For those who are unfamiliar with it, storybook style homes are whimsical, fairy tale inspired architecture popularized in the 1920s, featuring intentionally asymmetrical designs, steep, wavy roofs, and even turrets. The style is common in Southern California (especially around Beverly Hills and Los Feliz, as hinted above), with storybook homes evoking European medieval charm. Storybook style uses materials like stone, stucco, and timber; the mix of asymmetry and materials gives them a quaint, hand-crafted look and old world charm.
Notably and probably unsurprisingly, Walt Disney was a fan of the storybook style (so is legendary Imagineer Tony Baxter). One of Walt’s mansions was in the storybook style, as is the Tam O’Shanter, one of Walt’s favorite haunts. I’m honestly surprised that Imagineering didn’t model the rental home to either of those (maybe they didn’t know?). There’s a lot of cool storybook style architecture in Los Angeles; my favorite example is the Witch’s House.
Had Storyliving by Disney gone all-in on storybook style for its Second Star Club, that would be more worthy of discussion. It’d be a big swing, and unlike anything else built in the United States in the 2020s. But they’re clearly playing it safer, with only the Lost Key Cottage for rent. Everything else looks more generic. There are examples of design like this all around Central Florida–that’s actually probably a better example than Irvine.
It’s hard to fault Storyliving by Disney for taking this approach. As fun as the storybook style is, it’s also highly taste-specific. Although I appreciate the storybook style and am glad it exists, I wouldn’t want to live in a house like that. The market for storybook homes in Southern California seems smaller than it is for mid-century modern ones, and I say that as someone who spends a little too much time on Zillow. (Beats doom-scrolling!)
Given that, I’m not sure to what extent further analysis of Asteria is needed. It looks like a subdivision with a community center, plus a fun house for rent. If you didn’t tell me Imagineering was involved, I never would’ve made the assumption. There are community centers in Orange County (both of them) that are about on par with this. The only difference is, presumably, paying a premium for the Disney name.
Beyond that, my sentiment with Asteria is more or less the same as it was with Cotino. (If anything, Cotino was more impressive than Asteria.) While specifics differ, the operative question is: what does the Walt Disney Company really bring to the table when it comes to residential design and community planning?
Don’t get me wrong, I love many of the newer additions to the parks. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Cars Land, World of Frozen, Fantasy Springs, and the Beauty and the Beast area in Tokyo all look fantastic. As do many new attractions and the placemaking around them.
Those are poor comparisons, though, as they’re elaborate additions with Imagineering’s top tier talent and incredibly big budgets behind them. Storyliving by Disney won’t be anything like those new lands and areas. If it were, it would be immensely unprofitable or astronomically priced due to bloated budgets.
Instead, look at the regular restaurants, retail and public spaces Disney has done in the last several years. Spaces like Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, Downtown Disney at Disneyland, or even the center of EPCOT.
Look at the Disney Vacation Club additions, as those towers are a good example of budgets having to stay in check. Those are nothing that a high-end design firm couldn’t accomplish. They might be nice spaces, but they did not require the expertise or talent of Walt Disney Imagineering.
It’s entirely possible that the area around Asteria is up-and-coming, and that Storyliving by Disney will fill a void for an upmarket housing development. In fact, I’d imagine that is the case. It’s unlikely that Disney simply threw a dart at the map and decided to build wherever it landed. But that still doesn’t mean there’s a void that only Storyliving by Disney could fill.
If I wanted a home with the type of personality that Imagineering is capable of creating, I wouldn’t given Storyliving serious thought. I’d purchase an older home that actually has it. Of course, many people want new builds that they can customize to their own tastes and needs, so perhaps that’s not a realistic suggestion.
Ultimately, none of my thoughts actually matter. I’m not a prospective buyer for Asteria, just as I wasn’t for Cotino. And once again, I doubt the vast majority of you are, either. So it might feel nice to vent a little, but none of this matters. In the end, this will probably find an audience that is obsessed with the Disney brand and is willing to buy on that basis, overlooking all other alternatives.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a pretty small development, and it shouldn’t be that difficult to find diehard Disney fans who have unwavering “faith, trust, and pixie dust” and are also sufficiently affluent to purchase these homes. That’s just my incredibly pessimistic take, though. If you’re the target audience and think Asteria or Cotino sound awesome, who cares what I think.
Need Disney trip planning tips and comprehensive advice? Make sure to read Disney Parks Vacation Planning Guides, where you can find comprehensive guides to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond! For Disney updates, discount information, a free download of our Money-Saving Tips for Walt Disney World eBook, and much more, sign up for our FREE email newsletter!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the Storyliving by Disney concept? Would you buy a home in Asteria, Cotino, or any future planned communities? Would you buy into Storyliving by Disney if it came to Central Florida? Think this will be a big hit, colossal flop, or something in between? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!