Disney picks developer for affordable housing project

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World has picked a developer to construct and operate an affordable housing development for which the entertainment company is donating 80 acres of land. Company officials said Wednesday that The Michaels Organization will build, own and operate the 1,300 unit development. Its goal is to ease the housing market for service workers in metro Orlando, where it has become increasingly difficult for lower-wage workers to find places to live. The units will be available to qualified applicants who are Disney employees or members of the public. Housing prices in metro Orlando, as well as other parts of Florida, have soared in recent years.