*Are the rumors true???

[LSDisney]

Hi!

There's a rumor circulating about a new Disney park in Texas.


According to the rumor:
-the SixFlags in the Houston area will be closed and sold to the Disney company
-Disney is already buying other properties close to SixFlags in Houston to make room for a bigger park
-The reason SixFlags Houston is closing is supposibly because they have very litte people visiting the park since SixFlags SanAntonio is too close by
-Disney picked Houston so that they could have a park in the centeral part of the US

HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD OF THIS? CAN ANYONE CONFIRM IT?

 

[gymnasticscoach TX]

That would be nice, I live an hour away from Houston. I have not heard the rumors, but Astroworld did close at Halloween for good. I will have to do some investigating. I will post later if I find out anything.

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

This is ABSOLUTELY FALSE......Astroworld closed for four reasons.

1) Aging Park sturcture surrounded by little to no land for expansion
2) Escalation of land values in the area.
3) Ammount of Debt the Six Flags corperation has in relation to profits to be made from sale of said escalated value land.
4) Security issues at a urban and percieved "Ghetto" theme park.

With Fiesta Texas and Six Flags over Texas in state the decison was made to concentrate efforts at these parks and sell off Astroland for the fast profit it could reap for shareholders.

Disnay had nothing to do with this decision and I doubt disney will build a park in another area of the country.

 

[joyjoy]

-[/B]The reason SixFlags Houston is closing is supposibly because they have very litte people visiting the park since SixFlags SanAntonio is too close by

I live in Houston and have never heard this. And frankly, anytime someone says "supposibly" I'm pretty much discrediting the rest of the statement.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

When DH and I were in Houston last year, Astroworld was very crowded. But I have definetly not been impressed with any Six Flags I have visited recently.

 

[thptrek]

I live in Houston and can tell you this is false. Zip's response is correct on the reasons for AstroWorld being sold. The biggest reason is the land that AstroWorld is on is worth a ton of money and Six Flags corporation needs to raise cash to pay down debt.

 

[disney queen]

that "disney in texas" has been around of ages. would be nice, but.......

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

From the Six Flags, Inc. Press Release, Nov. 7, 2005:

"As previously announced, the AstroWorld theme park in Houston has been permanently closed as of the end of the 2005 season, and the Company has engaged Cushman & Wakefield to market the 104-acre site to the real estate development community. The Company expects that a sale will yield significant proceeds given the property's size and location within a revitalized and dynamic area of the city and its proximity to so many of Houston's civic, healthcare and business enterprises. Proceeds from the sale will be used for debt reduction and, subject to bank lender consent, general corporate purposes."​

In the unlikely event that Disney ever decides to build a third resort complex in the United States, then Texas would be a logical location. But Disney wouldn't pick a small 104-acre parcel of very expensive real estate, which had been the site of a failed amusement park.

 

[raidermatt]

I'm guessing somebody was just having some fun speculating. The entire Six Flags company IS up for sale, and at the same time is being pursued by Daniel Snyder, who wants to take over but not participate in the sale process.

If the company is sold, it seems more likely it will be sold in pieces as opposed to one company taking over the whole thing. Disney, among others, was mentioned in the early rumors with regard to pursuing certain assets.

But there's nothing to indicate the Astroworld situation had anything to do with Disney.

 

[Planogirl]

Astroworld was really sold off as a result of years of neglect and mismanagement. The park was successful before Six Flags took over and was quite a nice place. Six Flags managed to bury the park just as they're in the process of burying the rest of the company. Hopefully someone will purchase the Six Flags corporation and turn around these places before it's too late.

 

[Asuneda]

This rumor has been around for a very long time, years before Astroworld was slated for closure. The most persistent location mentioned has been the Plantersville area, near the Renessaince Festival. I believe this is (and unfortunately for us Texans, will remain) just rumor and hopeful speculation. Its a logistically central US location with abundant land. Too bad.

 

[dennis99ss]

Re: the ghetto park.....this is part true, part not. It became what some may term ghetto due to the mismanagement and lack of maintenance of the park. The less the park was kept up, the less non-ghetto people wanted to go. The more ghetto people attended, meant even less non-ghetto people attended. etc. The company lowered prices for the quick buck, which in turn allowed people in who did not appreciate the park, and did not respect it, and, due to the lower ticket prices, funds to maintain and fix the damage caused by the lack of respect was not there. At the same time six flags is on a buying spree, based on debt. Now, with a couple billion in debt, a park in nola that needs to be rebuilt, ghetto parks around the country, and low ticket prices, the company is in trouble, and, hence, an easy 100 million to be had in houston.

 

[Planogirl]

Exactly dennis99ss. Six Flags destroyed Astroworld in a long slow process.

As for the Plantersville rumor, I hope that this rumor NEVER becomes reality. That area puts on a great Rennaisance Festival and I personally hope that it goes on forever. Texas is big and Disney can build elsewhere if they ever really decide to.