Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 17, 1994 TAG: 9407070086
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
Just as several members of Congress vowed to use whatever federal means possible to keep the 3,000-acre park and real estate venture away from the Manassas Civil War battlefields, House Speaker Tom Foley of Washington and Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner held an elegant lunch for lawmakers who favor it.
An environmental group predicted the $650 million development would generate four times as much traffic and contain far more commercial space than Disney has publicly stated.
Tim Lindstrom, a zoning attorney with the Piedmont Environmental Council, said he based his projections on zoning documents. He said the project would ``decimate'' the Blue Ridge foothills.
Mark Pacala, Disney's America general manager, accused Lindstrom of hallucinating and added, ``We as a company certainly appreciate the value of fantasy. But enough is enough.''
Pacala said Disney would be bound by caps on traffic and development negotiated with Prince William County.
Disney officials have not decided whether Eisner will testify at Tuesday's Senate public lands and national monuments subcommittee hearing on the theme park's impact.
Rep. Mike Andrews, D-Texas, sponsor of a non-binding House resolution urging Disney to move its project to a less historic Virginia site, said federal law allows Congress to protect national battlefields.
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by CNB