Sagging Economy Slows Plans for ‘Flamingo Crossings’ at Disney

Just beyond the western entrance to Walt Disney World, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a new network of roads complete with utility lines, street lamps and palm trees — but not a single building.

The empty streetscape is all that exists so far of “Flamingo Crossings,” a 450-acre lodging-and-shopping district that Disney World announced more than three years ago as a way to capture more spending from the legions of price-sensitive tourists who visit the resort’s theme parks every year but bypass its premium-priced hotels in favor of cheaper, off-property accommodations.

The stalled project is a high-profile victim of the global recession and credit freeze, which has made financing for many commercial construction projects exceedingly hard to obtain. It is also emblematic of a broader construction slowdown at the giant resort: Records show that building-permit activity at Disney World has dropped 25 percent during the past year.

For the rest of Jason Garcia’s article…please go to the Orlando Sentinel

Click the link below to be taken to the Travelears recommended travel specialist.