Outraged Californians slam Disney over construction of 1,900 home community in peaceful desert city: ‘Down with Disney!’ [Video]

14:34 EDT 28 Aug 2024, updated 15:06 EDT 28 Aug 2024

Residents of a small California town are fuming over plans by Disney to construct a community of 2,000 homes in their peaceful patch of the desert. 

The Walt Disney Company has announced it will design neighborhoods across the US in deals with property developers, capitalizing on fans’ enthusiasm for the brand beyond its theme park and entertainment businesses. 

But its first development, a 618-acre residential community with 1,900 housing units including single-family homes and condominiums in Rancho Mirage, close to Palm Springs, is being met with resistance from some residents.

One local, Carol Tiffin, said she was worried that the development would see the Coachella Valley area turned into ‘another Las Vegas‘. 

‘Living off Gerald Ford I’m concerned about traffic, especially during the winter months when all the snowbirds are in town,’ she wrote online.