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By SANDY HUME
Rappahannock Neva Staff Writer
The Walt Disney Co. guaranteed that its Haymarket theme park would not be visible from the Manassas National Battlefield Park and that traffic levels would not exceed the company’s previous projections.
In its seventh and final rezoning submission to Prince William County, Disney provided the most explicit review of its plans for the park yet, and made several pledges to minimize its influence on the surrounding region.
The theme park proposal captured national attention in part because opponents, including several famous historians, passionately objected on the grounds that it would threaten nearby historic battlefields.
By setting a height limit of 140 feet for the tallest of all structures on the 3,006 acre site, Disney officials believe that they can ensure that the theme park is in no way visible. The height limit had been 180 feet, but balloon tests revealed it to be too high.
“Disney’s America will go the extra mile to respond to community concerns, minimize intrusion on our neighbors, and make sure the Park will not be seen from the Manassas Battlefield,” said Disney’s America director of development Dana Nottingham. “The project, seven miles from the entrance to the Manassas Battlefield Park, will be a sensitive neighbor to the Battlefield and other / historic sites.”
The 140 foot limit will apply to only the central area of the park, where the actual attractions will be built. Surrounding areas, including those designated for office space, will have limits of 75 feet and lower.
The imposition of a traffic cap provides that Disney will undertake no further development that will cause the number of daily car trips to and from the park to exceed 77,000. If that limit is reached, Disney will not develop anything further. i
Nottingham hopes the traffic cap will “lay to rest wild speculation” about the number of vehicle trips the park will generate.'Tve never seen a developer provide such a cap and to our knowledge it’s unprecedented,” said Disney’s America vice president of development Tom Lewis. “It gives neighbors certainty about the maximum amount of traffic the project will produce.”
The park will also have a 16,100 parking space limit for guests and employees.
Nottingham and Lewis tipped their hand slightly on the contents of a transportation plan that will be unveiled in early September. Disney aims to have 20 percent of guests
91.7%