As Simon and Garfunkel once sang, "Where have you gone

[sgtpet]

Eagle Pines?" It seems that EP is off the DVC radar as I can't find the artist renderings on the official website. Has anybody have any detail as to whether SS has replaced EP?


Oh wait it was Joe DiMaggio not Eagle Pines.

 

[MikeScott8]

I don't think it is off completely, just DVD wants some on site property to sell after BCV sells out. And VSS (Villas at Saratoga Springs) can be completed alot faster as much of the infrastructure (roads, sewers, power, common buildings) is already in place. It already looks like BCV will sell out BEFORE VSS will be completed so they will not have anything on site to sell, and with VB and HH sellling out sometime as well they may not have ANYTHING to sell.

Mike

 

[KNWVIKING]

DVD might also feel that if people are aware EP's is coming soon they may not be interested in purchasing SS.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by sgtpet
Has anybody have any detail as to whether SS has replaced EP?

I think it's safe to say that, for the time being, Disney's Sarasota Springs Resort & Spa (SSR) has replaced EP. But the Eagle Pines site was on the WDW land use master plan long before the resort was announced, and there's no reason to believe it's not still on the master plan.

The DVC resort at Eagle Pines was announced in July 2001, with an "estimated opening in spring/summer 2004." Then, after post-9/11 shutdown of the Villas at Disney Institute, that resort's site, infrastructure and main campus buildings became available for a DVC resort. The new DVC resort at the old DI site was announced in January 2002, with an expected opening of spring 2004. The announcement said nothing about Eagle Pines.

I don't think it was really a matter of being able to open the resort at the DI site sooner than at the EP site. Although there are some buildings and infrastructure that can be reused at the DI site, the designs and plans were ready to go for the EP site, but DVD has been scrambling for the last half year to develop plans for the DI site. The name and artists renderings for Disney's Sarasota Springs Resort & Spa weren't even available until earlier this month.

The real benefits of the DI site are cost and location. They'll save on costs by reusing the Disney Institute main campus. And the location near Downtown Disney will probably be preferred by many potential buyers.

So this gets us back to the question of whether the resort at the Eagle Pines site will ever be built, and, if so, when?

The answer depends on whether there will be additional phases of SSR, and how well the resort sells. There's a lot of room at the DI site -- well beyond the inital 16 acre site for new residential units. But, some day, SSR will be deemed fully built out, and Disney Vacation Develoment (DVD) will need a new site. It's likely that DVD will dust off the plans for the resort at Eagle Pines, making some minor changes based on "lessons learned" at SSR.

My guess is that Eagle Pines will be delayed by three years.

This was the original press release for Eagle Pines:
<blockquote>Disney Vacation Club Announces Plans For Largest Ownership Resort to Date at Walt Disney World Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (July 19, 2001) -- Disney Vacation Development, Inc., operators of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) -- Disney’s innovative vacation ownership program -- announced that it will expand its timeshare resort presence at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida by building a seventh DVC property (subject to obtaining necessary approvals). This latest development for the growing Disney Vacation Club product marks the Company’s largest ownership resort project to date.
The announcement heralds a time of exciting growth for Disney Vacation Club, which now boasts a membership of nearly 60,000 member families from over 60 countries.

The proposed 600-unit ownership development is slated to occupy a 61-acre site along the award-winning Disney’s Eagle Pines golf course at Walt Disney World Resort. All rooms will feature either a pool, golf course or forest view. Initial plans call for the construction of a main Inn building encompassing a check-in area; accommodations; restaurant/lounge; theme pool with feature slide; retail space; arcade; common living room area and a health club, as well as Villa buildings containing vacation home accommodations. Development will begin this fall with an estimated opening in spring/summer 2004.

“We are very excited to expand the Disney Vacation Club concept to an entirely new resort area here at Walt Disney World Resort,” said George Aguel, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. “I am confident that this new offering will be a successful addition to the dynamic vacation options we provide.”

The theme of the proposed DVC resort will complement and enhance the beautiful setting found at Disney’s Eagle Pines golf course. The new resort will be inspired by the architecture of Addison Mizner, a celebrated early 20th century architect who led the renaissance of Florida resort design. The property’s design will reflect a variety of motifs found in indigenous Florida buildings of this era, including Spanish, Moorish, Romanesque and Gothic forms. The atmosphere and elegance found in the coastal communities of southeast Florida (including West Palm Beach and Boca Raton) will be found in the resort’s architecture, ranging from tile roofs to fountains to lush, tropical landscaping.

Commissioned to design the resort was renowned architect Graham Gund, who created the architectural look for such Disney projects as Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort -- another Disney Vacation Club property. Gund designed the resort to take advantage of the pristine setting found at the Eagle Pines golf course location while maintaining the integrity of the existing golf course. Guests at the resort will have views to Disney’s Eagle Pines golf course but golfers’ view of the property will be buffered, with resort buildings “stepping down” in height as they near the golf holes.

The new resort is scheduled to open in phases, with the first phase consisting of the Inn building and five Villa buildings for a total of 360 units. The Inn and one Villa building are expected to open in spring/summer 2004, with the four additional Villa buildings opening throughout the remainder of that year. The final phase of five additional Villa buildings containing 240 units are anticipated to open by spring/summer 2005.

As Disney Vacation Club approaches its decade mark on Oct. 1, 2001, the Company is celebrating a number of achievements, including the expansion of its resort collection through the proposed addition of the new resort at Disney’s Eagle Pines golf course and the completion of Disney’s Beach Club Villas, which is currently under construction at Walt Disney World Resort next to the popular Disney’s Beach Club Resort (expected opening in September 2002).

“These latest expansions of our successful vacation ownership program will allow us to provide still more magical experiences for our guest and member families,” added Aguel.

The current collection of Disney Vacation Club resorts includes Disney’s Old Key West Resort; Disney’s BoardWalk Villas and The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge -- all located at the Walt Disney World Resort -- as well as Disney’s first resorts beyond the Disney theme park locations; Disney’s Vero Beach Resort on Florida’s Atlantic Coast and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina. </blockquote>