[MouseMan]

In Celebration, some are losing faith in Disney
Jun 20, 2002

by-Mike Thomas-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 urbanism" surrounded by old tourism. Lurking just outside the nice neighborhoods and chic (if completely impractical) downtown was U.S. 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?

Or would the outside seep in and eventually smother new urbanism, sending its practitioners to more secure locations, such as the various Parks -- College, Thornton, Winter and Baldwin.

Celebration has indeed held its own. The reason is Disney. The same Disney that spawned the blight on U.S. 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 asking 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 possibility 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.

The creator of Celebration now is viewed as its greatest threat.

It's a hot topic on a Celebration message board on the Internet.

"The bottom line for The Celebration Company [Disney] is that this is really all about money," wrote one resident. "They can sell hotels real easy. They can't sell office buildings as easy and for as much money. The residents are then left to deal with the consequences."

In fact, the market for office space is weak all across Central Florida. Some office buildings at Celebration appear almost empty. Even so, residents view office space as the long-term key to higher-paying jobs that will attract affluent, stable professionals into the community. "Not many hotel workers can afford to live in Celebration," Owens said in his flier.

Disney's Celebration manager Perry J. Reader sent out a letter telling residents 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.

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[YensidFan]

I can't blame residents of Celebration for being concerned ... especially with the time share units. My wife and I checked out Celebration in November 2000 (for a while we were thinking of relocating to Florida) and for what you pay for houses and taxes (on the high side for Florida) I wouldn't want time share units in the neighborhood either. The Celebration Hotel is very nice and from what I understand not cheap. But where do you draw the line and stop tourism from invading the community? With all the rules and laws residents have to follow ... their community shouldn't become just another Florida town.

[MouseMan]

And let's not forget the curious and Disney fanatics who just have to see Cellebration and all that it offers like it's a theme park area they have to explore like the actual WDW.

I have a lot of Disney CM friends who live there with their families, and some of the tales I hear are astonishing! It's almost like they are attractions to these tourists,etc! (And in their own home town!)

[YensidFan]

Well if you have ever walked down Celebration's main street area (shopping, etc) - it looks and sounds like something out of the MGM Studios Park! So it can be appealing to WDW fans!