May 24--Another sprawling resort will soon be under construction alongside Interstate 4 just south of Walt Disney World. 

The 2,500-acre Reunion Resort & Club straddles I-4 in northwest Osceola County near the Polk County line. It has a project value of $2 billion once it is fully developed and sold. 

The portion on the west side of I-4 is just north of ChampionsGate, a 1,200-acre resort launched late last year. The portion on the east side is just south of Disney's Celebration. 

The Ginn Co. has plans for 5,000 resort units ranging from single-family houses to time shares, 3,000 hotel rooms, 540,000 square feet of commercial space and three golf courses. 

Construction starts next month on the first golf course, designed by professional golfer Tom Watson. A second course, also on the east side of I-4, will be built later this year and designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer. 

A designer has not been announced yet for the third golf course, which will be built west of I-4. 

Bobby Ginn, president of the development company, said Wednesday that he has been looking for a suitable resort property in the Orlando area for 15 years. The Reunion site -- previously known as Magnolia Creek -- fits the bill with its proximity to Disney and enough acreage for large-scale development, Ginn said. 

The developer is building a road on the west side of the property from County Road 532 to County Road 545. It will have an interchange at the north end of the property where it crosses over the planned Western Beltway. The beltway section, not yet under construction, is to connect I-4 with the Winter Garden area. 

Centex Homes, one of Central Florida's largest home builders, is planning to develop four resort-home communities with more than 700 units in Reunion Resort. The communities would include some single-family houses sold as second homes and rented to tourists. 

The tourist/investor single-family home market has been booming in the Four Corners area, where Osceola, Polk, Lake and Orange counties meet. And Centex has been a big player in that market. 

Ginn said he expects most property owners will put their houses into a rental pool managed by the resort, which will control everything from security to landscaping and give the area a "Disney level of quality throughout." 

The resort is to be developed in villages or neighborhoods over three phases during the next 15 years. A conceptual master plan shows eight hotels scattered over the property on both sides of the interstate. 

Some of the hotels would have conference centers and spas to target business meetings. But Reunion Resort will be a "family resort town," Ginn said. "The whole idea of Reunion is to bring your family here and do things together." 

Two town centers are to be developed, one on each side of the highway. Ginn acquired the site last year. With additional parcels added since then, land costs exceed $50 million. 

Ginn has been in resort development for 30 years. He has done work in Hilton Head, S.C., and Palm Coast in Flagler County. His focus now is Florida. 

In addition to Reunion Resort, Ginn is planning a 1,713-acre commercial park straddling the Central Florida GreeneWay in south Orange County. 

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