THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409090003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A17 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By SCOTT E. GIBB
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
The wet-dog days of summer are almost behind us but the hottest part of the year is still ahead as the battle for Disney's America is fought before the Planning Commission on Sept. 10 and the board of supervisors sometime in October.
No matter what you may hear, Disney's America is not a ``done deal.'' It is vitally important that all supporters of this project make their voices heard before the planning commissioners and county supervisors. Many facts, half-truths and downright lies have been spread about this excellent economic opportunity for Prince William. The following facts are probably the most telling of all and come directly from the Disney's America Staff Report and Recommendation prepared by the Prince William County Planning Office.
The maximum development of the 3,006-acre project is ``capped'' (legally binding) by proffer. These maximums include:
77,000 average daily vehicular trips;
300 camp sites;
1,340 lodging units;
630,000 gross square feet of office/office-flex uses;
1,316,000 gross square feet of retail development;
2,281 dwelling units.
16,100 parking spaces to serve theme-park guests and employees.
By contrast, the development potential of the 3,006-acre parcel based upon existing zoning and existing 1990 Comprehensive Plan land-use classifications could currently accommodate between 3,374 and 4,238 dwelling units (almost twice what Disney could build) and between 2,187,480 and 7,187,000 square feet of non-residential square footage (more than three times what Disney may build).
Opponents of economic opportunity for Prince William residents keep telling Disney to ``go somewhere else,'' as if the choice is between Disney and Green Acres. This is just not so. Unless the environmentalists, preservationists and historians defeat every potential development within 50 square miles of the Manassas Battlefield Park, then something will be built on this and adjacent parcels of land. It is what the citizens of Prince William County want.
In 1990 the Commission on the Future, of which I was a member and, ironically enough, Planning Commissioner Don Poe, who seems to be against approval for Disney, was the chairman, presented a report to the board of county supervisors. Based on citizen input, a major theme of the report was that residents want job opportunities close to where they live. The report stated:
``The availability of local employment has a major impact in many areas of resident's lives. As workers break ``social ties'' with the office or work place, they return to their respective communities, creating much closer ties with their families and organizations.''
In other words, residents want to work where they live; they are tired of Prince William being a bedroom community and want the same job and career opportunities that their neighbors in Fairfax, Arlington and Falls Church have.
This desire is reflected in the county's strategic plan, a plan created with citizen input, which makes environmentally sound economic development the county's No. 1 priority. Furthermore, the Economic Development Plan chapter of the 1990 Comprehensive Plan reiterates that desire and makes tourism and tourism-related businesses a ``targeted industry'' for economic development.
The point of this argument is that there are a small number of county residents and an even larger number of non-county people who are trying to usurp the wishes, visions and desires of the majority of Prince William citizens by trying to prevent a world-class, reputable company from developing a piece of property that will inevitably be developed, perhaps into something much less desirable than a Disney theme park.
This is Prince William's future we're deciding this fall. Frankly, I don't really care about the horse farmers, vintners, estate owners and country hermits who are whelping and whining about the effect on their lives in counties far removed from the grind of suburban life. This is my future, my kids' future and your future. Disney's America will be great for Prince William and its citizens. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Crossroads USA is the hub of the proposed Disney's America
KEYWORDS: DISNEY AMERICA by CNB