
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 25, 1994                   TAG: 9403040018
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DISNEY: A GOOD DEAL FOR VIRGINIA

IMAGINE the pleasant farmland in the Haymarket area of Northern Virginia, just outside the D.C. sprawl, remaining forever as it is today. What a nice thought. And a fantasy. Most of the property already is zoned for development. Roads to handle the anticipated influx of traffic already are planned.

Something will be built on the site of the proposed Disney's America theme park. Disney proposes that it be a park celebrating American history, in the midst of a countryside rich in the real thing - close, but not on, hallowed grounds of Civil War battle sites.

A Disney park sans Mickey and castleto help the site blend with residential development expected on surrounding property.

Some property fronting on Interstate 66 is already planned for commercial and retail development, the use envisioned for this area in Prince William County's comprehensive plan. As developments go, there could be ones certainly more aesthetically offensive.

Is the cost to Virginia taxpayers too high? Critics point out, quite correctly, that competing amusement parks did not get $163 million in state assistance when they were built and, in fact, paid for some of the road improvements needed to provide public access. That was then, as the saying goes. Now, states are spending big tax dollars to help companies locate within their borders, hoping for payoffs in jobs and tax revenue. Disney isn't the first to come calling for this kind of help, or to have it offered.

And the help it seeks isn't tax abatements or free land, but mainly infrastructure improvements appropriate for government spending: additional lanes for I-66, an interchange, sewer and water extensions - a good portion of which the state would be funding someday anyway, and all of which will be paid for eventually by tax revenues from the theme park.

Gov. George Allen's $163 million package is too generous. One of the General Assembly's pared-down proposals should provide sufficient investment to swing the deal. After all, Disney hasn't sought a bidding war among states. It wants this site, close to the D.C. tourist market. Lawmakers enjoy some leverage, and should exercise it on taxpayers' behalf.

But no one should lose sight of the prize: 18,000 new jobs, an estimated $647 million over 20 years in state revenues, millions of money-paying visitors, a joint marketing effort that will promote Virginia as well as Disney's America.

There are no guarantees, of course. Disney will risk $650 million to build the park. The state will risk whatever money it comes up with that it wouldn't have spent, anyway, on roads. Projections of a 40 percent return on investment depend on the park's success. It seems nonetheless a good investment.

by CNB