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By SHARON KILPATRICK” ^—
Rappahannoc k News Staff Writer
A hastily called meeting to support the Piedmont Environmental Council’s ‘Disney — Take a Second Look’ campaign attracted about 30 people to Ki Theatre Monday evening.
Susan Babcock, who is active in both PEC and the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, said, “Since Disney announced the plans for a theme park, the phone at PEC has been ringing steadily.” She said PEC has received more than 3,500 calls from pebple opposed to the location of the project.
Christopher Needels, who is hea&ng the PEC campaign, said that the initial announcfement from Disney a month ago produced “euphoria” in Northern Virginia. People were excited about the jobs generated and the potential for economic growth.
“But,” he said, “there are also enormous costs. We have to see if the costs exceed the benefits. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that [by] putting it in Haymarket, the costs exceed the benefits.”
He said widening 1-66 would cost $100 million. Another interchange would cost about $28 million, he estimated. He said the park will require the western bypass, and that is estimated to cost $1.5 billion, the amount the Disney company said would be generated in state and local taxes by the park over a 30-year period. It would also be necessary, he added, to widen U.S. 15 to four lanes and to put in water and sewer.
“That’s $2 billion for Disney without the sprawl,” he said.
“Our whole point is to say there are locations closer in to D.C.,” he said. Another location would “reduce traffic, reduce pollution, and put the jobs closer to where they are most needed, in D.C.”
The issues concern the entire state of
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