Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a request to extend another construction permit for the abandoned Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge.
This request is for Project 89. This includes the construction of the actual resort buildings, parking lots, and backstage areas. It was set to expire in February 2024.
The request states, “We would like to request an extension of this permit as construction is not yet complete. This project was shut down during COVID-19 conditions and therefore delayed the completion of this project.”
Imagineering asked for a five-year extension.
Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge was officially announced in 2018 after rumors of a new nature-inspired resort. Reflections was to be a new Disney Vacation Club resort built on the site that once housed River Country, near Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
This resort experience will be a celebration of Walt Disney’s lifelong love and respect for nature, with some fun and even surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible. It will give our members and guests yet another opportunity to stay in close proximity to all the newest attractions and experiences in our theme parks, and with the flexibility, value and world-class service families expect from Disney.
Terri Schultz, then Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club
Disney began to demolish River Country in 2019 and Reflections was set to open in 2022. But construction had barely begun when COVID-19 shut down the world. Disney continued to file construction permits, with a 2021 permit indicating removal of trailers, seemingly supporting rumors that the resort was canceled.
However, last year, Disney requested and received a five-year extension for a permit for the construction project’s staging ground at the STOLport site. This didn’t give much hope for Reflections as there’s also ongoing construction at Fort Wilderness.
But the new permit, which deals more directly with the resort site, suggests Disney may be reviving the Lakeside Lodge.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
Check out more Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge concept art.
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