Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994 TAG: 9401210134
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DALE EISMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Flanked by members of his Cabinet and cheered by an audience of corporate executives and state legislators, Allen said the General Assembly should approve bonds to cover the cost of road improvements in and around the proposed Disney's America theme park in Prince William County.
"This is a fair and profitable deal for Virginia," he said.
Voters would have no direct say in the borrowing program, which is modeled after a scheme the state is using to finance $600 million in improvements to U.S. 58 along the state's southern border.
As a state legislator in the mid-1980s, Allen twice voted against the U.S. 58 bonds, contending they should be submitted to voters in a referendum.
Ken Stroupe, Allen's press secretary, said the governor took a different stand on Disney because "we're actually going to recoup more than we spend."
The U.S. 58 project was undertaken in hopes of stimulating economic development along the highway and generating revenue for the state; in Disney's case, the development is set, and it is clear the state will come out ahead, Stroupe said.
Allen led a 90-minute slide presentation by Cabinet members, a College of William and Mary economist and legislators representing Prince William on the economic benefits that they and Disney executives say the American history theme park would bring to the state.
Roy Pearson, director of William and Mary's bureau of business research, said the Disney park would:
Attract 5.3 million visitors - who would spend $500 million - in its first year alone.
Create 4,600 jobs - good for $34 million in state tax revenue per year - during its construction.
Create 17,990 jobs - good for $41 million in state tax revenue annually - when it opens in 1998.
Park proponents brought three busloads of Disney supporters from Prince William to Thursday's hearing, apparently seeking to counter complaints from some residents about the development's impact on already congested roads.
The critics note that Disney wants help that the state has not given other significant projects. Owners of the King's Dominion and Busch Gardens theme parks paid for highway and other infrastructure improvements themselves.
After Thursday's hearing, one senior legislator, Sen. Joseph Gartlan Jr., D-Fairfax County, observed that "the momentum is significant" for Disney's America but suggested that the Legislature may soon have to contend with other developers seeking "the Disney treatment."
And Del. Robert Marshall, R-Manassas, appeared ready to break with other lawmakers representing the county, suggesting public funds should be used only on roads providing access to the park and not those actually on Disney property.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.