Leaked River Country DVC Plans

[DaveInTN 3,247]

They put the parking lot underneath the buildings at Kidani Village why not here.

 

Maybe they are afraid Bay Lake would end up in the parking structures.  :rofl3:

[BayLake Campers 83]

The parking went under at AKL to elevate the first floor for better viewing of the animals, plus it made the foot print smaller for storm water runoff.

[Starbuc71 162]

Here is a overlay. Big big big :)

Honestly? With the land west of the resort couldn't they have shifted everything a little west instead of piling stuff up on us campers?

[BayLake Campers 83]

nope, that's all wetlands and the area that was river country is not. just less dollars to reuse the existing land.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

nope, that's all wetlands and the area that was river country is not. just less dollars to reuse the existing land.

 

 

Well, according to these maps posted by WBI, it's not quite wetlands- they call it Resource Management/Recreation:

 

 

 

 

Based on that great overlay you did, Warren, it looks to me like they can do whatever they want with the land designated Resource Management/Recreation.

 

Did you notice how far the row of buildings on the east of the project (phase 2) encroaches on that cypress head that juts out into Bay Lake?

 

That cypress head is protected under the same designation as the land to the west that isn't getting touched.  A lot of those cypress trees are going to be sacrificed for this project.

 

That's not cool.

 

TCD

[The Troll 67]

 

That cypress head is protected under the same designation as the land to the west that isn't getting touched.  A lot of those cypress trees are going to be sacrificed for this project.

 

That's not cool.

 

Hopefully the Shoe Tree is at a safe distance from that. Although not a fan of the shoes hanging from its branches, I am a big fan of the tree itself, particularly considering it was there, almost identical to as it is now, when Walt and company first scouted the Bay Lake property so long ago.

 

Then again I'm a fan of all trees.

 

I love trees.

 

But I guess if you're going to build something, some have to get cut.

[BayLake Campers 83]

Good spot. I checked RCID and found these. The first ones shows what land is considered build-able.

The next one shows Future land use thru 2020.

And this one show what they consider the different resort areas. The fort is a lot bigger then we knew!

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Well, according to these maps posted by WBI, it's not quite wetlands- they call it Resource Management/Recreation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on that great overlay you did, Warren, it looks to me like they can do whatever they want with the land designated Resource Management/Recreation.

 

Did you notice how far the row of buildings on the east of the project (phase 2) encroaches on that cypress head that juts out into Bay Lake?

 

That cypress head is protected under the same designation as the land to the west that isn't getting touched.  A lot of those cypress trees are going to be sacrificed for this project.

 

That's not cool.

 

TCD

 

From what I can see the plans don't actually take out much of the actual delineated wetlands, the actual COE wetlands in that cypress head are pretty small.  They are going to take out some trees but it actually doesn't look like many that are outside of the old river country area.  Honestly I don't like that we're going to lose all the big oaks and pines around the existing bars and Pioneer hall.

 

Going back to the land use map though, it appears that they are really only effecting a small amount of the "Resource Management/Recreation" property.  They have to provide compensating property for everything they take here elsewhere on their property.

 

Now if you move the parking lot to the other side your taking a much larger chunk of the Resource Management property and a large piece of COE wetlands, that cause a lot more mitigation.

 

There's a CAD file that shows all this but it probably wouldn't be to interesting to most people.

 

If you think about it though, moving the parking lot to the other side would not be easy at all.  The building orientation and entrance are based on the shoreline which creates a nice flow from the parking lot the way it is now.  If you move it, the parking would be off to the side and you would have to move the delivery/backstage area to the other side where all the guest amenities are.  To move the backstage area you have to revise your floor plan of your building to accept delieveries.  You would also have to relocate the castmember parking somewhere.

 

That's a lot to go through, and I'm sure they have already looked at it in the beginning.  I mean this is Disney, they think about everything in the design phase, every little detail. 

 

 

Hopefully the Shoe Tree is at a safe distance from that. Although not a fan of the shoes hanging from its branches, I am a big fan of the tree itself, particularly considering it was there, almost identical to as it is now, when Walt and company first scouted the Bay Lake property so long ago.

 

Then again I'm a fan of all trees.

 

I love trees.

 

But I guess if you're going to build something, some have to get cut.

 

 

The Shoe Tree looks completely safe for now.

 

WBI

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

If you think about it though, moving the parking lot to the other side would not be easy at all.  The building orientation and entrance are based on the shoreline which creates a nice flow from the parking lot the way it is now.  If you move it, the parking would be off to the side and you would have to move the delivery/backstage area to the other side where all the guest amenities are.  To move the backstage area you have to revise your floor plan of your building to accept delieveries.  You would also have to relocate the castmember parking somewhere.

Yes, this is what I see too. They started with the idea that they were going to replace River Country with a new resort, and everything else flowed from there. The placement of the parking lot is perfect for the new resort. But, it's not perfect for the Fort.

Just focusing on these plans, they did a fantastic job of fitting a giant resort into a challenging space. The stuff they are demolishing for the parking lot is for the most part being replaced in the Outpost.

The end result is a very nice resort. The unfortunate thing is that it swipes a bunch of amenities that used to belong exclusively to the campground.

 

 

 

The Shoe Tree looks completely safe for now.

 

WBI

Agreed:

TCD

[BayLake Campers 83]

Don't know if it's relevant or not, but I just found a notice of commencement on the Orange county web page. Not much detail but it covers the entire Fort area and it was recorded 01/09/14.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Uh oh.

 

I wonder if they made it vague and illegible on purpose?

 

Whatever it is, it can't be for the DVC. They don't have permits for that yet.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

My guess is for the dam area? 

 

What's going on with that thing??

 

Any new pictures?

 

WBI

[shoreline99 137]

How does this DVC resort stack up against the other DVC - number of rooms, size, etc? Is it comparable? It seems awfully large to me for a timeshare only project, but Uncle Walter's company is all about the benjamins. Why sell a room once when you can sell it over and over again. Is there a chance that this is another disney resort with a DVC component, or is it all DVC all the time?

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

I've been looking for a sheet with a room count, but haven't found one yet, but given the size it'd have to be comparable to WL for guest count. The only thing I've found that suggests that this is a DVC is that they have rooms labeled "villas", so I presume it is at least partially a DVC.

[CitaPita...Carmen 59]

How does this DVC resort stack up against the other DVC - number of rooms, size, etc? Is it comparable? It seems awfully large to me for a timeshare only project, but Uncle Walter's company is all about the benjamins. Why sell a room once when you can sell it over and over again. Is there a chance that this is another disney resort with a DVC component, or is it all DVC all the time?

 

I've been wondering that, too. To me, it definitely seems too big to be 100% DVC. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Good questions about whether it's 100% DVC.  The Vero Beach DVC has standard rooms in one of the building that rent out just like hotel rooms.  So does the Boardwalk.  I don't think Saratoga Springs has regular hotel rooms.

 

The plans for each floor have a chart showing what types of guest rooms are on each floor.  For example, this is the chart for the plans for the 3rd floor:

 

 

All of the floors list only DVC style rooms like this.  These plans show the resort being 100% DVC.

 

Compared to Saratoga Springs, I don't think this is too big to be 100% DVC.

 

Note that non-DVC members can still rent rooms on the Disney site at the DVC's- I've stayed in most of them.

 

TCD

[lightbikes 73]

As someone said above - don't know what you all do for a living but you're right up there with Jack Ryan or James Bond in your investigative skills.  Not to mention your computer competency at ferreting out all this.  

 

This could add immensely to the Fort but it will make some real changes here.  There's no way that any ordinary folks have much  influence on what Disney does.   Hopefully we will still be able to find and enjoy all the things we love about the campground even with these changes.  Given how fast they move on things we could well see this up and running by the 50th anniversary, if not the 45th.  

 

Please someone tell me there will still be the golf cart parades, the Christmas decorations, Halloween and all the other things we value!!!!

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Please someone tell me there will still be the golf cart parades, the Christmas decorations, Halloween and all the other things we value!!!!

Ok, Lightbikes, fear not, there will still be the golf cart parades, the Christmas decorations, Halloween and all the other things we value!!! Feel better? Not that I have any surety or authority to back it up.

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

I've been flipping through some more and some more of the theming is becoming apparent. I'm noticing a LOT of ceiling fans, everywhere, I suspect to give a feel of the old south. There are face-slider doors in the suites (like generally seen on barns), and a good deal of bead-board in use. Also, in the halls there are "candle holder" light fixtures.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I've been flipping through some more and some more of the theming is becoming apparent. I'm noticing a LOT of ceiling fans, everywhere, I suspect to give a feel of the old south. There are face-slider doors in the suites (like generally seen on barns), and a good deal of bead-board in use. Also, in the halls there are "candle holder" light fixtures.

 

I also have really been fascinated by the level of detail shown in the schematic plans.  As WBI pointed out earlier, this is only one step in a very long process, but it is a very significant step, and the details definitely shed a lot of light on what the Imagineers may be thinking with regard to the theme of this resort.

 

Since not everyone has access to the details, let's look at some.

 

The plans show some interesting murals in the check in area-  This one looks like a butterfly mural which would be on the walls in the reception area:

 

 

This mural, which looks like it may be in the same vicinity, has some dragonflies added:

 

 

You can't really tell that those are butterflies and dragonflies, but they are:

 

 

 

This drawing shows some detail in the area called the breezeway-you can see the barn doors Shannon referenced as well as some detail related to one of those boat-style bench seats-you can also see the outlines of some of the cool light fixtures:

 

 

The plans include all kinds of details about proposed wall and floor finishes, and even some examples of what guest rooms might look like.

 

This is one of the studio bedrooms, also called a lock-off bedroom.  Look at the details on the headboard, the furnishings, carpet, wall art, and especially don't miss those rocking chairs and the view from the balcony:

 

 

This is a master bedroom- look at the wall panel there next to the bathroom door.  Nice:

 

 

This drawing gives you an idea about what the bathrooms will look like-classy and simple:

 

 

Here's an example of a living room in one of the villas- really nice, and there's that view and some rocking chairs again:

 

 

There are hundreds of drawings showing the most minute details.  Like this one, showing what the guest room headboards might look like:

 

 

I found these drawings interesting- they show the image of a bird on a branch above the room numbers out in the hallways:

 

 

 

 

Putting this all together, the theme is much richer than just River Country- it's a nature theme.

 

And I like it.

 

Can you imagine having your own balcony and a rocking chair overlooking Bay Lake?

 

That alone would make me think about buying in to DVC.

 

TCD

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

There have been murmurs for years that Disney needed to build a pet-friendly resort, maybe this is it. The Fort makes a perfect place to walk the dogs. And with the whole nature theme? No sign of an on site kennel, so maybe a pet shuttle to Best Friends? Ok, I'm being facetious, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for them.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

And just think if they could pipe in the music from the Fort on the balcony!!!

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

Man, you guys come up with some amazing information!

[dvccamper 32]

Wow, nice find on those pictures of the rooms. I have been skimming through this thread, most of the drawings just go right over my head. But real pictures is something I can get into!

Although I am ultimately against DVC encroaching on the Fort, this does look like a nice resort. I know adding on points is not in my future but I would definitely try to book a stay there.

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Check out the design in this balustrade:

Frank would be proud. But I bet they don't allow fishing from here.

And here's something to make your average Fiend tremble with envy:

...or maybe that's "shudder at the thought of"? Looks like quite the fitness center, though.