Walt Disney Imagineers are putting the finishing conceptual touches on the entryway to their second residential community, and the timeline for when North Carolina families can call Asteria home is coming into sharper focus.
The Entrance Takes Shape
Disney Parks Blog published a new update on Asteria, the Storyliving by Disney community planned for the Pittsboro area of North Carolina's Piedmont region, on Wednesday. The latest details center on the community's entry experience — the first thing residents and visitors will encounter upon arrival — and the design philosophy behind it is firmly rooted in the surrounding land.
Rather than importing materials or imposing a manufactured aesthetic, the entryway will be constructed using a dry-stacking method with rocks and stone sourced directly from the site — including metavolcanic rock, quartz, and rhyolite. The result is an arrival sequence that blends organically into the surrounding North Carolina topography. At the center of it all is a moon gate, the circular architectural feature that will frame the passage into Asteria and serve as the community's defining first impression.
@DisneyParks offered a preview on X (formerly known as Twitter):
It's where your story begins ✨ A first look at the entryway for Asteria, a Storyliving by Disney community coming to life in the Raleigh, North Carolina area 🏠 http://di.sn/6000B16snm
See http://storylivingbydisney.com/asteria for important disclosures and full details.
It's where your story begins ✨ A first look at the entryway for Asteria, a Storyliving by Disney community coming to life in the Raleigh, North Carolina area 🏠 https://t.co/qhRi0DcEDh
See https://t.co/wLM4D1JzEH for important disclosures and full details. pic.twitter.com/9bIajZ3aeV
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 5, 2026
What Families Are Buying Into
Asteria is the second Storyliving by Disney project to move toward reality, following Cotino in Rancho Mirage, California, where model homes are currently available for prospective residents to tour. The North Carolina community takes its name from the native North Carolina aster and the Greek goddess who shares its name.
Disney first pulled back the curtain on Asteria in April, detailing the Second Star Club — the community's social and wellness hub inspired by Peter Pan (1953) — which will host everything from morning yoga sessions and recreational activities to a signature dining destination called Marquet Hall. Approximately 4,000 residential units are planned for the Pittsboro site in total.
Home sales are expected to begin in fall 2027, with the first residents arriving in 2028.
Should local residents have a say when Storyliving by Disney is developing a new community in their area? Disney Fanatic would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Too bad there is no true consideration for affordable housing. Those of us, who live on a realistic fixed pensions cannot afford these homes. If I could, I’d move to Golden Oak instead.