Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993 TAG: 9311290283
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HAYMARKET LENGTH: Long
He's picturing a resort hotel on the 60 acres he owns next door to the proposed American history park.
"The views from up there are 20 miles. It's really spectacular," the real estate investor said.
William Merchant said Disney's arrival means those 20 miles of hilly countryside would be filled with Wal-Marts and Taco Bells and other evidence of urban sprawl.
"I look at this as a Trojan horse," said Merchant, a pharmacist in The Plains, a town about 10 miles from the proposed park. "It may look good now, but what's going to come out of it later?"
It's been two weeks since Disney's surprise announcement that it will build the park 40 miles west of Washington, and the entertainment giant's new neighbors are still sizing up the plan.
The park initially would cover about 185 acres of what is now woods and farmland. Houses, stores, hotels, a golf course and undeveloped "buffer zones" would take the rest of an approximately 3,000-acre site.
Construction would begin in 1996, and the Disney's America park would open in 1998. Development of the rest of the complex would continue several years beyond that, along with commercial and residential expansion expected to follow the park's opening.
"My big concern is our roads, and I'm waiting to see what they'll do about that," said Bettie Noonan, a real estate agent who lives near Haymarket.
The proposed park is much smaller than the 28,000-acre Disney World complex in Orlando, Fla., which brought enormous development to that area 20 years ago. Disney and local officials have promised to closely manage growth around the Disney's America site.
But Disney still would have a tremendous impact on the landscape, economy and future of Prince William County and the rest of Northern Virginia.
Disney hopes to lure some of the 19 million tourists coming to Washington each year for the popular round of monuments and museums, many of which chronicle American history and cultural themes.
Disney's version of history will include a Civil War-era town, a depiction of life during the Industrial Revolution, a slavery exhibit and an American Indian village.
Visitors will "experience the life of Americans at different places in our American history," Disney Design and Development Co. chief Peter Rummell said.
Mickey Mouse and the other Disney characters apparently will play a smaller role than at Disney's other two American parks.
"That's too bad. I want to see Donald Duck," said Josh Waller, 8, as he and his mother looked at a newspaper story about the park at the Manassas Mall recently.
A Disney executive used a fake name and said he hailed from Phoenix when negotiating land deals, lest word of Disney's plans send real estate prices skyward.
The quiet-as-a-mouse approach allowed Disney to buy or arrange options on 10 parcels of land just beyond Washington's suburban fringe.
Disney also was able to plan the deal without giving local officials or residents time to organize objections. Prince William County's top elected official first heard of the deal less than a month ago.
So far, the politicians haven't found anything to complain about.
With about 3,000 employees, Disney would be Prince William's largest private employer. Another 2,000 people would build the park.
Disney estimates the park would generate $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue over 30 years.
"It's a done deal. Everyone supports it, from the governor on down," Samson said. "Everyone realizes Northern Virginia can't afford to lose this. There wouldn't be a public official left standing if this doesn't happen."
Disney will need county approval to change the land's zoning. A delighted Board of Supervisors will put the request on a fast track, compressing into less than six months a process that often takes two years.
Gov.-elect George Allen said Disney's request for a new, state-funded interchange on Interstate 66 will be a top priority.
"Our administration certainly will kick down any hurdles that you have. We're here to work with you," Allen told Disney officials at a news conference.
Allen said he does not expect to offer any direct tax breaks to cement the deal.
The project would require enormous water and sewer services and eventually create a need for new schools and other infrastructure. Disney and local officials have not said who would pay for those improvements.
Preservation groups that have successfully fought other development nearby were caught off guard along with everyone else.
The site is only a few miles from the Manassas Civil War battlefield, where opposition stopped It's a done deal. Everyone supports it, from the governor on down. Everyone realizes Northern Virginia can't afford to lose this. There wouldn't be a public official left standing if this doesn't happen. Casey Samson Real estate investor construction of a huge shopping mall in 1988.
Many of the forces that joined in that fight have held their fire so far on the Disney plan.
Opposition has come mostly from residents of neighboring Fauquier County, such as Merchant, who cannot exert direct political pressure on Prince William officials.
\ DISNEY'S AMERICA\ FAST FACTS\ \ Theme: American history\ \ Cost: $750 million Size: 185 acres initially, with expansions planned\ \ Site: 3,000-acre wooded tract in Prince William County, about 40 miles from\ Washington\ \ Opening: planned for 1998\ \ Jobs: about 3,000\ \ Projected tax revenue: $1.5 billion over 30 years
by CNB