HONOLULU -- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced on Wednesday that it will open a resort at Ko Olina by 2011.

The new resort will be located on oceanfront property next to the Ihilani Resort and Spa, where NFL players practice when they travel to the islands for the Pro Bowl, as KITV first reported earlier this week.

The resort will feature hotel rooms and villas for the Disney Vacation Club, a time-share arm of Disney resorts. The company said it has not decided on how many units will be part of the hotel and how many will be time-share units.

Disney said the hotel should generate about 1,000 new jobs.

Disney officials said that its team of designers is working with cultural advisors and local architects finalizing what the resort will look like. They hope to break ground for the project next year.

"This resort hotel will give our guests another way to visit an exciting part of the world with a brand they trust," Walt Disney Parks and Resort Chairman Jay Rasulo said in a written statement. "We are looking forward to building a special family resort that honors the cultural diversity of Hawaii and reflects the spirit of aloha that makes this location so unique."

"To have a company of this quality and caliber choose us when they could have chosen anywhere in the world, means a lot to us," Gov. Linda Lingle said.

Disney bought the 21-acre property for $144 million from The Resort Group, Jeff Stone's company that oversees the development of the Ko Olina area.

"I think it's incredible. As many projects as we try and bring to Hawaii, I think bringing in the Walt Disney Co. to Hawaii is the perfect fit. I think it's the perfect fit for the community, I think they're sensitive, I think they know exactly what needs to be done," Stone said.

It is the only Disney resort that will not be attatched to one of its theme parks.

Part of the project will also bring in 1,000 parking stalls, which will add to the number of available stalls for the public, Stone said.

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