The Return of Disney's America in VA?

[The Uh-Oa!]

"In 1994, Disney was all set to close on 2,000 acres in Haymarket in as the core to its envisioned 3,000-acre Disney America in Prince William County. That deal was scuttled, but Disney is on the record as keeping its plans alive to set Disney America in Virginia. Riley over at Virginia Virtucon was openly calling for Disney to revive its Disney America design in the Williamsburg area a few years ago. Many in Virginia consider the protests and objections that forced Disney to shut down its plans 20 years ago a big mistake. Our source has informed us that Disney is ready to rectify that mistake, and now wants the 3,250 acres that Sweet Briar sits on to bring Disney America back to life and back to Virginia."

https://athensschool.wordpress.com/...he-sweetbriar-closing-disney-america-is-back/

I caught wind of these via some friends with Sweet Briar connections, and to be honest, I think it's a load of bunk. The sale of SBC DOES still seem strange, but for a host of reasons (cost, weather, etc) I cannot see this as being feasible for Disney right now. The only argument I could come up with for it would be the overcrowding currently seen at the parks - but if that's the case, it would be far easier and cheaper for them to just build a 5th gate at WDW - which we already know is probably not in the very near future. But they already have plenty of land there and control over it - no need to wrestle the local government and red tape like they would elsewhere.

Thoughts? Anyone else hear anything?

 

[sfbntpc]

As someone who lives in Hampton Roads and a DVC member, I think this is great. I remember when I was 14 and hearing that Disney had pulled out of the project due to protests and objections, and thinking how stupid people were for that. This is only 3 hours from me and there is a lot of open land that could be bought if available. I read an article too a while back mentioning Disney still had some land in the National Harbor area (not sure if this is right). I also came across the sketches for Disneys America online too. Of Course I think the outskirts of Williamsburg would be better, but I will take anything in Virginia

 

[rteetz]

Right now with Disney focusing on markets overseas I see it as very unlikely.

 

[MDChris]

I only live a few hours from this location but I pass through it often when visiting family. There is absolutely nothing there. It would be interesting to see the quick growth of this area, if it is in fact true.

 

[The Uh-Oa!]

Someone on one of the Disney fan FB pages pointed out that it's 2 hours from a major airport (Richmond) and 1.5 hours from a regional airport, and the major roads are pretty terrible nearby the area. Disney would have to throw a whole lot of money just into surrounding infrastructure improvements to build a theme park there.

Though Disney has property all over that they buy and don't put theme parks on. There's more to Disney than just parks, and it's certainly possible they could buy it for other reasons.

 

[here757]

I'm in Hampton roads... bring it on! but in Williamsburg area. our traffic already sucks lol

 

[Boski]

Someone on one of the Disney fan FB pages pointed out that it's 2 hours from a major airport (Richmond) and 1.5 hours from a regional airport, and the major roads are pretty terrible nearby the area. Disney would have to throw a whole lot of money just into surrounding infrastructure improvements to build a theme park there.

Though Disney has property all over that they buy and don't put theme parks on. There's more to Disney than just parks, and it's certainly possible they could buy it for other reasons.

Which makes even more sense to put it closer to Hampton Roads for all of us locals to enjoy!

 

[The Uh-Oa!]

I wouldn't be sad if they did it....it's definitely closer to me in Indiana than Florida is! I'm just not too hopeful it will actually happen.

 

[Mickey&Mouse]

As a Virginian, I would love for this to happen anywhere in VA. I remember being so disappointed when the Haymarket deal fell through. But I agree that it probably won't happen.

 

[MrsHull]

I don't see this happening, honestly, after reading a book about how disney ultimately chose FL. In VA, our winters are too unpredictable. It would have to be a three season attraction, at best.

 

[dwbrewster]

Someone on one of the Disney fan FB pages pointed out that it's 2 hours from a major airport (Richmond) and 1.5 hours from a regional airport, and the major roads are pretty terrible nearby the area. Disney would have to throw a whole lot of money just into surrounding infrastructure improvements to build a theme park there.

Though Disney has property all over that they buy and don't put theme parks on. There's more to Disney than just parks, and it's certainly possible they could buy it for other reasons.

The current infrastructure doesn't support it but the bottom of one article indicates:
"There are already many plans in place to widen and develop the Route 29 corridor so that the new Disney America would be accessible from Northern Virginia, Central Virginia via Route 64, all the way down to Charlotte, North Carolina"

 

[cjparker0110]

I grew up in Hampton, VA. I started driving in 1993 and I remember the construction on 64 to widen it from 2 lanes to 3...when it should have been going straight to 4 because they were already 10 years too late. It took them from 1993 until around 2007 to widen the road in a 10 miles stretch.. Even if Disney does go there, VDOT is not capable of building roads in a timely (or cost effective) manner.

 

[dwbrewster]

I grew up in Hampton, VA. I started driving in 1993 and I remember the construction on 64 to widen it from 2 lanes to 3...when it should have been going straight to 4 because they were already 10 years too late. It took them from 1993 until around 2007 to widen the road in a 10 miles stretch.. Even if Disney does go there, VDOT is not capable of building roads in a timely (or cost effective) manner.

Put the right incentives in place and it's possible. Maybe I'm being too optimistic but the VDOT project (largest in the state) is down the road from me in Gainesville (VA) and they actually had to stop work because they were too far ahead of schedule and the funding wasn't authorized to continue. Also - where I used to live in NJ they had an interesting deal where the construction company had financial incentives in place to finish by certain dates - bet your bottom dollar they finished ahead of schedule...it's possible if managed right!

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't see this happening, honestly, after reading a book about how disney ultimately chose FL. In VA, our winters are too unpredictable. It would have to be a three season attraction, at best.

Exactly. To avoid emergency closing the park would have to be closed January and February. This whole story is just someone's fantasy. There are no interstates. No airports. I-81 is already a crowded mess.

 

[DDLand]

Not at all likely for two reasons:
1) A Virginian Resort doesn't make sense.
2) Disney has been laser focused on IP. Last time I checked America wasn't a Disney IP.
The roads aren't a major issue as Disney worked an agreement with them last time around, and if I had to guess they'd do it again.

Fun fact, many of the aspects of Disney's America made there way into California Adventure. Grizzly Gulch? That was there in the form of a Lewis and Clark ride. Condor Flats? A WW2 Airfield. Paradise Pier? Shore side Park.

They kind of got twisted and crammed into DCA, but they're still there. Also Disney's America had a rather small budget of 1.3 billion in today's money. For comparison Aulani cost 800,000,000. The 1.3 was for the park, two hotels, a shopping district, and a water park. That would have been streched thin. I think it may be better we never got it after all.

It sure would've been interesting though...

 

[rwdavis2]

I think the main problem with the original idea was that Disney was putting it in Northern VA near the Manassas battlefield.

 

[umichigan10]

I think the main problem with the original idea was that Disney was putting it in Northern VA near the Manassas battlefield.

It was one of several issues. Locals also protested it citing the traffic uptick, and a few other things I can't recall. With Eisner at that point, if you didn't get him what he wanted right away and showed the least bit of opposition he got cold feet 9/10 times.

 

[maltdizzy]

I'm a No. Va. native (a rarity for my age, I once figured up I pre-date 95% of the population here....and I'm only middle-aged) and was working in the animation industry when the Virginia park was announced.

Disney's America was a pitch when Pocahontas was in development and their artists and researchers were spending a lot of time in Virginia and D.C. Eisner though the concept of co-oping American history would give plenty of IP for Disney.

The argument made against Disney was the proximity to the battlefield, but that was a red herring. The opposition was almost entirely funded by Walmart because they had wanted a large part of that parcel for itself. Indeed, when Disney abandoned the idea due to poor local sentiment, Walmart bought up the property they wanted for themselves. But there is no Walmart store there; in a twist of fate, a real estate developer funded opposition against Walmart that eventually cancelled the store. With both Disney and Walmart out of the picture, that real estate developer plowed over all that land and built tract housing. It was never about the battlefield, that was merely used to sway the great unwashed as deep pockets battled over potential profit....trees still died, traffic still increased, nothing cool was built.

When Pocahontas opened in '95 to poor reviews and lackluster box-office, Disney's love affair with U.S. history withered. Though, never to waste R&D money, they dusted off the blueprints when they tried to buy Knott's Berry Farm.

It's too bad, I would have loved a park near where I grew up (all of No. Va. is being plowed over for more houses and strip malls anyway, nothing of my childhood exists anymore, why not get something fun), beyond the cruddy Six Flags (I am a fan of Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens, but traffic is making them harder to reach).

Can't see a Sweet Briar location working, too remote...no major city, no major airport, one trucking corridor interstate, etc. The idea behind Haymarket was to have a day-park in proximity to D.C. which is already a major tourist destination. I would bet even money Sweet Briar's campus is bought by Liberty University.

 

[rwdavis2]

I'm a No. Va. native (a rarity for my age, I once figured up I pre-date 95% of the population here....and I'm only middle-aged) and was working in the animation industry when the Virginia park was announced.

Disney's America was a pitch when Pocahontas was in development and their artists and researchers were spending a lot of time in Virginia and D.C. Eisner though the concept of co-oping American history would give plenty of IP for Disney.

The argument made against Disney was the proximity to the battlefield, but that was a red herring. The opposition was almost entirely funded by Walmart because they had wanted a large part of that parcel for itself. Indeed, when Disney abandoned the idea due to poor local sentiment, Walmart bought up the property they wanted for themselves. But there is no Walmart store there; in a twist of fate, a real estate developer funded opposition against Walmart that eventually cancelled the store. With both Disney and Walmart out of the picture, that real estate developer plowed over all that land and built tract housing. It was never about the battlefield, that was merely used to sway the great unwashed as deep pockets battled over potential profit....trees still died, traffic still increased, nothing cool was built.

When Pocahontas opened in '95 to poor reviews and lackluster box-office, Disney's love affair with U.S. history withered. Though, never to waste R&D money, they dusted off the blueprints when they tried to buy Knott's Berry Farm.

It's too bad, I would have loved a park near where I grew up (all of No. Va. is being plowed over for more houses and strip malls anyway, nothing of my childhood exists anymore, why not get something fun), beyond the cruddy Six Flags (I am a fan of Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens, but traffic is making them harder to reach).

Interesting. I live over in Maryland and never heard that story. But I could only imagine how awful the traffic would have been. They would have needed interstate extensions from several directions that only exited onto the site.

 

[maltdizzy]

Interesting. I live over in Maryland and never heard that story. But I could only imagine how awful the traffic would have been. They would have needed interstate extensions from several directions that only exited onto the site.

When in the area, I see traffic backups more than 2 miles long to get off I-66 at Route 15 (Haymarket) because they built all that housing (and more) without improving the infrastructure, I can't imagine Disney would have done it any worse. Come to think of it...when the park was proposed, it was always refereed as being built in "Manassas," but at the time Haymarket was little more than a name on an exit sign.

PW and Loudoun countries are so development crazed, there has been little forethought put into roads, schools,. etc. to sustain it.