First Model Homes Revealed in Disney-Built Community

Disney’s Cotino, in the Southern California desert, is the first of the company’s ‘Storybook Living’ developments.

1 minute read

October 2, 2024, 10:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of Rancho Mirage, California with homes in foreground and snowy San Gabriel Mountains in background.

Rancho Mirage, California. | Kamil / Adobe Stock

The Disney company recently welcomed the press to view the first model homes in a residential community it’s building from scratch in the Southern California desert near Palm Springs, reports Shannon Power for Newsweek.

The 600-acre ‘Storyliving’ community dubbed Cotino — a dream or a dystopia based on your perspective — also promises “a vibrant mixed-use district featuring a range of shopping, dining and entertainment, a beachfront hotel and a professionally managed beach park with recreational water activities that can be accessed by the public through the purchase of a day pass.”

Disney has been tentatively engaging in residential development since the early 1990s, when it established the Disney Development Company and planned the community of Celebration, Florida (the company later divested control of the community). It later started Storyliving by Disney in 2022, with plans for communities in California and North Carolina.

Saturday, September 28, 2024 in Newsweek

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

3 hours ago - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

5 hours ago - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation