Disney tree house villas ????

[AprilLizbeth]

So they better just open them up! Who is ready to stay there?! I know I am!

 

[manning]

Putting all of this information together, along with some information from my dad, who does contracting work for Disney, I have heard that they will indeed be refurbished for guest use, but have not heard any real timeline. Also, the issue of it being protected wetlands, I highly doubt it because all of WDW is in its own government jurisdiction called the Ready Creek Improvement district. They make their own building codes, land use and pretty much everything else (by the way, their building code is much higher than regular building codes for Florida, so feel very safe when you are at WDW!). Lastly, about not being wheelchair accessible, they would only have to update a few. Think of all the other resorts, only a small portion of their rooms are handicapped accessible. Disney has the engineering capabilities to modify anything, so I don't think that making a few treehouses compliant is the issue here. I think they were waiting to refurb them until resort demand increased enough to make it feasible. Now most of the resorts are close to capacity a good amount of the year, so they will probably start work sometime soon. Just my two cents!

I'm in Illinois and the last time we were involved in wetland issues it was the corp of engineers who came in and determined what was wetlands based on set standards. Some of that may have now been filtered down to state level.

 

[ralphd]

I'm in Illinois and the last time we were involved in wetland issues it was the corp of engineers who came in and determined what was wetlands based on set standards. Some of that may have now been filtered down to state level.

I think you are correct on both points.

 

[vonpluto]

There is a ton of info on this topic at the Reedy Creek site:

http://www.rcid.org/

click on 2008 Comp Plan at the top

As I read it and as best as I can decipher the maps (there are loads of maps in this report), there is only one Class One Wetlands Area in the OKW/SSR Resort Area. It comprises the wooded area that begins at Vacation Club Way on the east side of the OKW gate and extends between the eighth fairway of the LBVGC and the Sassagoula River to where the Trumbo Canal joins the River. It appears that the forested area that runs along the Trumbo from the main pool to where the canal turns to join the Sassagoula is a Class Two Area.

RCID defines these areas as:

“Policies CONSERVATION ELEMENT
6A-4
The RCID Land Development Regulations shall ensure the protection and conservation of all wetlands within its jurisdiction not identified for impact by Long Term Permits (LTPs). Wetlands shall be designated as Class I areas or Class II areas based on the following criteria:

(1) Class I Criteria
(a) Any functional wetland currently protected by a conservation easement
within the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
(b) Any area included within the Wildlife Management/Conservation Area
(WMCA) as defined by SFWMD.
(c) Any wetland identified by the Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as providing critical and essential habitat for species on either the federal or state list of threatened or endangered
species.

(2) Class II Criteria. All wetlands within the District which do not meet the criteria as a Class I wetland and which are not identified for impact by LTPs.”

The Class One Wetlands along the Sassagoula are designated “Conservation Area/not suitable for development”, further: “Land with this designation generally should be considered unavailable for development. The 7,617 acres with this designation represent about half of the undeveloped land area. “
The Class Two Wetlands in the area (along the Trumbo, and the Treehouses) are designated “ Marginally Suitable. Areas given a marginally suitable rating have identified or recognized constraints for development. This classification corresponds to wetlands that are above the 100-year flood elevation. Development in these areas is strongly discouraged and would require mitigation of wetland impacts above. “

The above quotes come from the Future Land Use section of the report
(Land Use Analysis section) and it closes with this:
“During the next 10 years, the District’s development will be directed to those areas identified as suitable in the above analysis. The largest areas of suitable land are located west of Animal Kingdom, between World Drive and I-4 between Osceola Parkway and US 192, around Lake Mable, north of the Magnolia Golf Course, east of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, and west of Disney/ MGM Studios. Other areas identified as suitable are scattered throughout the District on sites of less than 100 acres. Figure 2-6, later in this chapter, shows the location of suitable land based on land use designation. “ (pg. 2B-23)

So, as I read it, Disney could construct a new resort at the Treehouse location. They would not have to do a land swap, or meet state or federal regs as was the case at Celebration. But they would have to abide by RCID’s existing rule governing development in marginally suitable areas. YMMV.

Some other interesting tidbits from the report:
Hotel/Motel: 1998 Base, 25,015 rooms; 2008 Increment maximum, 18,100 rooms
Other resort (DVC): 1998 Base 2,073 rooms; 2008 Increment maximum, 1300 units
Golf Courses: 1998 Base. 99 Holes; 2008 Increment maximum, 36 holes
Major Theme parks: 1998 Base, 4 Parks; 2008 Increment maximum, 1 Park
Minor Theme Parks: 1998 Base 4 Parks; 2008 Increment maximum, 3 Parks

Remember this is a future PLANNING document, these numbers are only possibilities.

One other thing, Vacation Club Way (formerly Community Drive) is scheduled to be widened to four lanes by 2008.
OK, that’s enough wonkiness for this year.

Have A Disney Day!!!!

Frank

PS: A bus fleet of 475 by ‘08, no mention of monorail expansion.

 

[scottb8888]

If they re-opened, we would stay there in a minute!

 

[erikthewise]

A related thread from last Dec can be found at http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=978293 .

In that thread WebmasterDoc says that the treehouse villas are/were being used by International College Program students.

 

[RedDrumJay]

New abbreviation - THV (TreeHouse Villas) Looks like they are coming back!

 

[rogerram]

Looks like it could be. i saw the plans on another site and it had 5 scanned pages that were filed for permits, with specific plans for 60 tree house units. Here is a link to the permit. There is another board that has a forum with all the 5 pictures, but I can't post it here as it will delete the name.

http://my.sfwmd.gov/cmsdk/content/i...itsAndStaffReports/071227-7_LtrMod_228189.pdf

 

[rogerram]

here are some photos of the plans.

 

[Sorahana]

Chuck S,
Not that I've heard...The CP students live in 3 apartment complexes, Chatham Square, The Commons, and Vista Way just off Disney property near the Crossroads. I don't think they'd trust the students as far as they could throw them having all of those tree houses to themselves! (But, oh, the parties they could throw )

Actually some of the international students live in the tree houses. The tree houses were shut down because it was too much trouble to upgrade them to make them handicap accessible so they just stopped using them.
I've ridden the ferry from POFQ several times and that's what they've told us everytime, lol.

And if they are taking the current ones down and building new ones, that's cool and a good idea =). They really are in need of work/saving since alot of them have been sitting there vacant for years.

 

[CanadianGuy]

And the thread linked in my signature has this information with larger versions of the images of the plans.

 

[JPN4265]

I was told by someone who really knows, that the tree houses are infested with termites, mold, and will be torn down this summer. Nothing will be built to replace them, they are going to be green space.

 

[mitros]

Wow, never knew the area that encompasses the tree houses was so huge.....

 

[CanadianGuy]

I was told by someone who really knows, that the tree houses are infested with termites, mold, and will be torn down this summer. Nothing will be built to replace them, they are going to be green space.

So what do you make of the permit application for the replacement construction filed with the South Florida Water Management District?

Dated about a month ago...

 

[CanadianGuy]

Actually some of the international students live in the tree houses. The tree houses were shut down because it was too much trouble to upgrade them to make them handicap accessible so they just stopped using them.
I've ridden the ferry from POFQ several times and that's what they've told us everytime, lol.

And if they are taking the current ones down and building new ones, that's cool and a good idea =). They really are in need of work/saving since alot of them have been sitting there vacant for years.

The boat driver was misinformed. The previous units HAD wheelchair ramps.. so the requisite number were ADA compliant already. They were damaged in a hurricane and a number of units were heavily water damaged and had mold problems..

The new permit addresses proper ways to do the construction on the protected wetland underneath the tree houses.

Knox

 

[Sorahana]

The boat driver was misinformed. The previous units HAD wheelchair ramps.. so the requisite number were ADA compliant already. They were damaged in a hurricane and a number of units were heavily water damaged and had mold problems..

The new permit addresses proper ways to do the construction on the protected wetland underneath the tree houses.

Knox

Ah ok, thanks for the correct information =). I do remember hearing something about the hurricane damage but when they mentioned the houses not being handicapped accessible, I was like "hmmmm?".

 

[CanadianGuy]

No problem.. there are at least four threads going on this topic.. and every single one of them someone has mentioned that a CM someplace told them they were closed because of ADA issues.

That just doesn't appear to be the case is all.



Knox

 

[tinkerbelluk]

Actually some of the international students live in the tree houses. The tree houses were shut down because it was too much trouble to upgrade them to make them handicap accessible so they just stopped using them.
I've ridden the ferry from POFQ several times and that's what they've told us everytime, lol.

And if they are taking the current ones down and building new ones, that's cool and a good idea =). They really are in need of work/saving since alot of them have been sitting there vacant for years.

The treehouse villas are no longer being used as international college program accomodation, all icp's who were living there were moved to vista and chatham in mid january 2008.

 

[DancingBear]

here are some photos of the plans.

Excellent info, thanks.

 

[CanadianGuy]

here are the same images slightly larger: