{"id":261552,"date":"2026-04-10T20:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/261552\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T20:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:01:08","slug":"the-secret-street-that-disney-owns-in-suburban-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/261552\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Street That Disney Owns in Suburban California"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a block in Burbank, CA,<\/a> that looks like the ideal American suburb. There are low-slung homes with neat lawns and towering trees, pristine sidewalks, and circular driveways. The area is safe and quiet. As a bonus, the magical Walt Disney Studios is across the street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The only thing missing, for the most part, is people living there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Disney\u2019s impact on Burbank doesn\u2019t stop at the walls of its studios. The corporation is also a homeowner, and it controls basically every classic cottage-style home on a stretch of Keystone Street across from its complex. <\/p>\n

This makes Keystone, which is often used for filming or for temporary corporate housing, an extension of the Disney property\u2014and the resulting loss of housing stock, even on one block, is part of what makes buying in the area so competitive<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keystone Street is just across the street from the studio. Getty ImagesThe feel of the block<\/p>\n

Driving down S. Keystone Street toward the Los Angeles River, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking you\u2019d driven straight onto a movie lot, or into some sort of suburban fever dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the typical trappings of suburban life, or any life at all, are missing. You\u2019re more likely to see Disney security guards patrolling the area than residents walking their dogs or trimming the hedges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Disney reportedly began buying homes on Keystone in the 1990s. Residents in a 1991 Los Angeles Times article<\/a> were quoted as feeling uneasy about the company\u2019s expansion and motives. Now, according to reporter Dave Kunz<\/a>, Disney owns every home on the east side of S. Keystone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To many, this open secret is just another quirk of the neighborhood. Commenters online have called the homes \u201cStepford houses\u201d and described walking past them as \u201ceerie.\u201d It provokes ambivalent feelings among former residents, who seem to either lament the days gone by or appreciate the timeless feel of the upkept homes, or some combination thereof.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was around when they were owned by friends and neighbors. It\u2019s weird that they are all the same as when I was growing up. I like that,\u201d said Dana Tafoya-Cameron on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The corner of Keystone and Parkside Avenue in Burbank, CA, with Walt Disney Studios across the streetGoogle MapsThe housing market in Burbank<\/p>\n

Pull back from this close-up on a single street, however, and consider the bigger picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI work with buyers in Burbank every day, and the inventory situation there is unlike almost anywhere else in L.A. County,\u201d says Deborah Pisaro, the owner of Coastline 840, a luxury real estate brokerage in California<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s more competitive, full-stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Burbank checks a lot of boxes for homeowners and prospective buyers. Compared to other parts of Los Angeles County, its median home price of $1.16 million<\/a> is relatively affordable. It boasts top-rated schools, its own police and fire departments, and a genuine small-town feel within one of America\u2019s major metro areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is no such thing as a buyer\u2019s market in Burbank. According to Realtor.com data, inventory in Burbank<\/a> is up nearly 50% over the past three years\u2014and yet prices are holding at $1.16 million, and homes are selling at 99% of the asking price.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong inventory growth signals that the market is heading in a more buyer-friendly direction, but even significant growth from a low base could mean that inventory is still relatively constrained,\u201d says Realtor.com\u00ae<\/a> senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones. \u201cPut differently, inventory is recovering in Burbank, but the sale-to-list price data suggests that demand is keeping up with this recovery in supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Disney quietly holding these modest, postwar “Anytown, USA” properties off the market entirely isn’t helping.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Keystone situation shows what happens when homes get permanently absorbed out of the market,\u201d says Pisaro. \u201cEvery house that gets quietly taken off the board by a corporate or institutional owner is one fewer option for the family trying to buy their first home in Burbank, which is dominated by families and industry professionals who have lived there forever. And in a market this tight, even losing a handful of listings can shift the math for buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Disney a boon or a barrier?\u00a0<\/p>\n

For current homeowners in the area, there\u2019s a lot to like about having Disney as a neighbor, especially if you\u2019re a fan of the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cBurbank has a huge contingent of Disney devotees\u2014people who genuinely love everything Disney and a lot who have worked for Disney for years. For a lot of those residents, the idea that Disney maintains an entire block adjacent to the studio lot is actually kind of charming,\u201d says Pisaro. \u201cDisney keeps the properties immaculate, pays property taxes, and doesn’t cause problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a tourist attraction, as a monument to suburban living, as a reminder of Burbank\u2019s past, the street is a win. But in an area hemmed in by mountains that take a bite out of buildable land, corporate ownership of homes that essentially function as a film lot and short-term stays for executives is potentially a bad look\u2014particularly during a historic housing crunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of commenters online who have noticed that the company purchased residential property and turned it commercial. And if you\u2019re a young family looking for entry into the market, a stretch of empty homes might start to look less endearing and more enraging.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Living a Disney life<\/p>\n

Disney does have a knack for curating a residential feel. But unless you\u2019re an executive visiting from out-of-town, it\u2019s unlikely that you\u2019ll be living in any of these Disney-kept homes for the foreseeable future. The best you can do is take a drive or a stroll down the street\u2014whenever they aren\u2019t shooting there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are other options. About a two-hour drive east of Burbank, in Rancho Mirage, CA<\/a>, Disney has built the first of many planned \u201cStoryliving\u201d communities<\/a>, where residents can buy in \u201cnew home communities … infused with the imagination of Walt Disney Imagineers and managed by Disney Cast members.\u201d It includes an equestrian-themed dog park and kayaking on human-made Cotino Bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That means the magic of a Disney life is available\u2014you just need to live somewhere else completely and shell out for it. Currently available home designs<\/a> in Rancho Mirage are priced starting at $1,339,990, with beach access available for an additional fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n