Disney Reportedly to Build History Park Near Washington

Walt Disney Co. plans to build a new American history theme park and shopping complex on a rural site about 30 miles outside Washington, congressional and business sources said Tuesday.

The proposed site encompasses about 2,000 acres set amid rolling hills in western Prince William County, northwest of Manassas.

Disney spokesmen, adhering to the company’s tradition of extreme secrecy regarding new projects, declined to comment to reporters about their plans. A formal announcement is believed to be imminent.

It appeared that Disney’s new project would differ significantly from the Disney theme parks in Anaheim and Orlando, Fla. According to several sources, the northern Virginia complex would feature an American history and culture theme rather than a Mickey-and-Minnie focus, and would combine features of an amusement park and a shopping mall. The goal would be to minimize competition with the sprawling DisneyWorld complex in Orlando.

In briefings Tuesday with legislators, Disney officials said the project would take four to five years to complete and could create 1,000 jobs. They said they had investigated possible obstacles to the project based on environmental and historic preservation concerns and that they believe there are no serious problems. However, the tract was recently the focus of a zoning battle, and some real estate executives and other observers predicted Disney will face local opposition.

Disney officials briefed the northern Virginia congressional delegation on the project on Capitol Hill, according to legislative sources familiar with the briefings. The legislators, including both Virginia senators, in general responded enthusiastically but raised questions about potential traffic problems.

Disney officials said they hope to capitalize on Washington’s bustling tourism business with a theme park that would be only a day trip away, according to the legislative sources.

The prospective site for the park is owned by a subsidiary of Irving, Tex.-based Exxon Corp. An Exxon spokeswoman declined to comment.