[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
     STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL A. ANDREWS ON HIS CONCURRENT 
  RESOLUTION REGARDING THE NORTHERN PIEDMONT AREA OF VIRGINIA AND THE 
 WALT DISNEY COMPANY'S PROPOSED THEME PARK AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

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                        HON. MICHAEL A. ANDREWS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 1994

  Mr. ANDREWS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express that 
Congress should and will play an important role in the debate over The 
Walt Disney Company's proposed new city, a theme park and real estate 
development in the Northern Piedmont area of Virginia. I am introducing 
a resolution which asks the Federal Government and Congress to closely 
examine Disney's proposal, and calls on Disney to find alternative 
sites for its project.
  Let me begin by stating that I am not opposed to Disney's proposed 
theme park, nor am I opposed to its being located in the Commonwealth 
of Virginia. I strongly believe that states have the right to promote 
economic development and that Disney has the right to construct its 
park and real estate development. At issue here is the location Disney 
is currently proposing; the Northern Piedmont area. I simply do not 
believe that Disney's new city should be located in an area of such 
great historical importance to the Nation. Studies have identified 
alternative sites, some within the same county as currently proposed, 
that would serve Disney's purposes without disturbing historic areas as 
the current site does, yet providing the essential infrastructure 
necessary to accommodate a large influx of visitors that Disney will 
bring. The Northern Piedmont area does not currently provide this 
infrastructure, nor will it in the future without significant harm to 
its historical and environmental integrity.
  The Northern Piedmont is an area where our Nation was forged, from 
the early days of the colonies and the American Revolution through the 
Civil War. There is more American history in this small part of 
Virginia than in any other place in the United States. The area played 
a significant role during the formation of the Nation, as well as 
during its most trying period. It is the cradle of the Presidency, home 
to Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. It was also a strategic centerpoint 
of the Civil War, site of many important battles and campaigns of that 
conflict. Today, a visitor to the area will find 38 historic districts 
and 32 Civil War battlefields within just one hour's drive from the 
proposed Disney site.
  What is really at stake here, Mr. Speaker, is the health of two of 
our country's most valuable national treasures: the Manassas National 
Battlefield Park and the Shenandoah National Park. These two gems of 
our National Park System are fragile parks and already at risk, even 
without Disney's proposed development. This development could devastate 
these two parks.
  While the Northern Piedmont area is currently zoned for commercial 
development, and development certainly will come, and it is not 
Congress' role to stop appropriate development that would not encroach 
on public lands, the area simply cannot handle a real estate 
development the size of Disney's proposal. Disney alone wants to build 
2,281 housing units; 1,300 hotel rooms, two golf courses; a 283-acre 
campsite; and nearly 2 million square feet of commercial space. And 
that doesn't include the plans of other developers eager to build fast-
food restaurants, souvenir shops, motels, and the like.
  As you can see, this is not merely a theme park--it is a planned 
megalopolis. When finished, Disney will have built from scratch one of 
Virginia's largest cities. The consequences for the surrounding 
historic treasures--the congestion, overdevelopment, pollution, and 
historical encroachment--would be devastating. And, that is precisely 
where this issue becomes one that is far more than just a local issue. 
By threatening the Manassas National Battlefield Park, the Shenandoah 
Valley National Park, and historic lands from Washington to 
Charlottesville to Harper's Ferry, it becomes a national issue.
  The Federal Government's responsibility here is to assure 
preservation of the integrity of this historic region. The Executive 
Branch must ensure compliance with all applicable laws to ensure that 
this area will not be irrevocably harmed. Congress' duty, as steward of 
the Nation's public lands, is to carefully and closely evaluate any and 
all proposals that would significantly and detrimentally affect these 
lands.
  In 1988, I led the effort to prevent construction of a shopping mall 
on the Manassas Battlefield. The Congress employed a seldom-used 
legislative taking to purchase the land where the proposed shopping 
center was to be constructed. It would be a betrayal to the taxpayers 
if today, only 6 years later, Congress turned a blind eye to Disney's 
proposal, in effect rubber-stamping it, and allowed a massive real 
estate development and accompanying, unbridled urban sprawl in the same 
area that we fought so hard to protect in 1988.
  Therefore, we cannot stand by and watch as an area that has served as 
both the birthplace and battleground of the United States becomes the 
target of such a large-scale development proposal. It is appropriate 
that Congress involve itself in this process; once these invaluable 
national treasures are developed, there is no restoring them.

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