Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994 TAG: 9403310102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Robert Elliott, a lawyer for Protect, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington seeking to block Disney's deal with the Army Corps of Engineers allowing destruction of wetlands.
The agreement between the Corps and Disney calls for the company to build 28 acres of artificial wetlands to replace what it destroys when it builds the Disney's America theme park in Prince William County.
Disney has not applied for a Corps permit to destroy wetlands, the group said.
"It's our view that the entire way in which the Army Corps of Engineers and [Environmental Protection Agency] go about entering into such agreements is unlawful, at least as applied to a case where there's no permit application even filed for wetlands destruction," Elliott said.
Another suit, filed in Prince William County Circuit Court, seeks to throw out a March 15 zoning ordinance amendment authorizing "theme park" zoning. The suit seeks to revise the timetable and procedures for processing the Disney application.
It also asks the court to order Gov. George Allen and the state departments of Transportation and Environmental Quality to comply with state laws regarding transportation and environmental impact analysis.
A Disney's America spokeswoman said company officials have not seen the lawsuits.
Allen last month persuaded the General Assembly to approve a $163 million incentives package - most of it for highway projects - for the Disney park near Haymarket. Allen has said the park would be a boon to tourism and would create about 19,000 jobs.
Elliott said most of the jobs would come from "fast-food places and other types of development" spun off from the park.
by CNB