(The Center Square) – A touch of Disney in North Carolina begins with home sales next year and residential move-in by the fall of 2028 for 4,000 single-family and multi-family homes.
In the Pittsboro community of Chatham County, Storyliving by Disney is building the Asteria community in Chatham Park. That’s about 35 miles from the heart of downtown Raleigh at the Capitol.
Representation is of the world-renowned Disney brand; the property will not be a theme park. It comes at a time when North Carolina’s population has grown by 756,000 over the last five years, says U.S. Census Bureau numbers released in January.
The ninth-largest state in America has a population estimated at 11.2 million and is projected to reach 11.9 million by 2030. Analysis regularly bills North Carolina among the best states in which to do business, with tax friendly policies that since Republicans won majorities in both chambers of the Legislature in 2010 have included reductions for income tax from individuals and corporations.
Additionally, it’s one of 10 to 15 states with both definitive mountains and beaches.
Pittsboro’s population will nearly double its just under 5,000 total when the development reaches capacity. The community is predominantly white (70%), has median home values of $342,000, and a poverty rate of 10.4%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Chatham County’s Siler City was chosen in 2022 for a $5 billion investment from Wolfspeed Semiconductor Facility to manufacture silicon carbide wafers. In Moncure the same year, VinFast said it was building a $4 billion electric vehicle plant; production to begin in 2025 has since been shifted to 2028, with a reduction in hiring from 7,500 to 1,400.
In 2025, MetOx International said it would build a $193.7 million production facility in Moncure for high-temperature superconducting wire.
In the works for more than a year, Wednesday’s release of information from developers included renderings of the Second Star Club within the project. The development is billed as “a thoughtfully designed community where residents will be able to take advantage of big-city amenities as well as small-town charm. The area boasts shopping, dining, entertainment, schools and health care – all close at hand.
In Disney history, Asteria is a reference to the celestial compass in the 1953 classic Peter Pan. To reach Never Land, the navigation method is “second star to the right and straight on till morning.”
Residents will be members of the Second Star Club at Asteria. The spaces and experiences, say Storyliving’s pitch, will have nods to nature and curiosity from the films “Beauty and the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Bambi.”
Disney programming will be available through the Disney Enrichment Programs, Disney Entertainment and Events, health and wellness activities, and excursions.
Asteria follows in a similar fashion to Storyliving by Disney’s Cotino community in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
