Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407080022
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT E. GIBB
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Myth: Disney's America will cause uncontrolled sprawl and collateral development, just like in Orlando.
Fact: Disney's America will be a tenth the size of Walt Disney World in Orlando. Disney's America will be a one-day experience. Tourists will return to their hotel rooms or visit other attractions in the region, not linger around the park. One only need look at the near-complete absence of collateral development around Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens, also one-day attractions in Virginia.
Collateral development can be controlled by aggressive zoning and planning restrictions on the part of local jurisdictions.
Myth: Disney's America will blight the beautiful Virginia countryside.
Fact: Disney has purposefully found enough land to buffer its park. You will not be able to see the theme park from any of the major roads around the development. Disney has pledged to keep 1,245 of its 3,000 acres - more than 40 percent - as green space. This will be a first-class, environmentally sensitive development.
The site is already zoned for 2,800 homes, and significant commercial and retail development. Disney's America offers quality, managed growth.
Myth: Disney's America will destroy Virginia's rich historic heritage and hallowed battlefields nearby.
Fact: Disney's property has no significant historical value. There were no battles fought there, and there are no Civil War graves or cemeteries. Disney intends to restore historic resources such as the Waverly Plantation.
The closest battlefield is Manassas National Battlefield Park, more than five miles away. Visual-intrusion studies have confirmed that you will not be able to see or hear Disney's America from anywhere on the battlefield. Traffic volume on U.S. 29 through the battlefield will be 10 to 15 percent lower in the year 2010 because of the improvements, funded with the help of Disney's America, to Interstate 66.
Drawing from the 20 million tourists who visit the Washington area each year, Disney's America will create an unprecedented interest in American history and an interest in historic sites. The commonwealth will have a state-of-the-art public visitor's center at the Disney's America entrance, directing tourists to all the many wonderful historic attractions Virginia has to offer.
Myth: Disney's America will be an environmental disaster.
Fact: Tourism is one of the cleanest industries, and Disney has an impeccable record of protecting the environment. Disney's America is a 100-acre historical theme park with more than 1,200 acres of green space, 2,400 homes and 1.98 million square feet of commercial and retail development. It is not a nuclear reactor or a toxic-waste dump. Disney is committed to protecting Chesapeake Bay; minimizing waste; conserving water; preserving critical habitat, wetlands and open space on its site; and protecting valuable historic resource areas on its site.
Probably no project in recent memory has faced the environmental scrutiny that Disney's America has. If allowed to meet all local, state and federal environmental regulations, Disney will.
Myth: Disney's America will create a new "edge city" far from major transportation nodes and population centers.
Fact: One need only look at a map to see why Disney chose the property: adjacency to an interstate highway and major state roads, rail access two miles down the road and the Washington Metrorail system 15 miles away, and Dulles and Manassas airports 10 miles away. Prince William County, with extensive input from residents, has designated the site and the land around it for intensive residential and commercial development precisely because it is in a major transportation and population corridor.
Myth: Disney's America benefits no one except Disney stockholders.
Fact: The benefits of Disney's America are enormous, no matter whose figures you use. Disney will spend $650 million constructing Phase One of its park, creating 4,700 full time jobs and $34 million in state tax revenues. Over the next 30 years, Disney's America will generate approximately $767 million in county tax revenues and $1.18 billion in state tax revenues. Disney estimates that more than 12,000 jobs will be created as a result of the project. Some estimates range as high as 19,000.
Myth: Disney's America will gridlock area roads.
Fact: Roads will be improved because of Disney. The bond package passed by the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year provides $142 million in transportation improvements, $82.4 million in regional improvements and $59.5 million in Disney-related off-site improvements. If Disney's America is not approved, these road improvements will not happen - yet the area will continue to develop. The good news for Virginia taxpayers is that Disney has guaranteed these bonds. If tax revenues are not sufficient to pay off the bonds, Disney will have to make good on the difference.
Additionally, Disney has agreed to put a cap on the daily vehicle trips generated by its development. Disney estimates that its project will create 77,000 vehicle trips per day on area roads, and has guaranteed Prince William County that it will halt further development if that figure is reached.
Myth: Disney's America will produce only low-paying, low-skill jobs with few benefits.
Fact: Upon opening in 1998, Disney's America will employ 2,700 persons from entry level through professional. These will be full-time jobs, with some of the best benefits offered by any corporation in the world. In Florida, even entry-level positions at Walt Disney World are 33 percent over minimum wage. It is estimated that Disney and ancillary-development payroll will be $500 million a year.
Disney's impact on the job market, especially the construction industry, will be evident immediately. An independent study conducted by the College of William and Mary estimated that 4,700 jobs will be created during the construction phase, generating $34 million annually in state taxes.
The opposition wants no compromise. By spreading misinformation about Disney's America, its true impact and benefits to the community, opponents hope to achieve their real agenda, which is "no growth." If successful in defeating Disney, they will have created such a negative atmosphere for development in the Prince William County area that no business will want to relocate or expand there.
Scott E. Gibb of Manassas is past president of Prince William County Chamber of Commerce.
by CNB