IV
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 255
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the proposed Disney theme
park in the historic Northern Piedmont area of Virginia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 16, 1994
Mr. ANDREWS of Texas (for himself, Mr. BRYANT, Mr. SLATTERY, Mr.
TORRICELLI, Mr. GORDON, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. ROEMER, Mr.
BEILENSON, Mr. MONTGOMERY, Mr. STARK, Mr. LAUGHLIN, Mr. SMITH
of Iowa, Mrs. UNSOELD, Mr. ANDREWS of Maine, Mr. DURBIN, Mr.
DEFAZIO, Mr. EVANS, Mr. LEACH, Mr. HORN, and Mr. WILSON) submit-
ted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Public
Works and Transportation
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the proposed
Disney theme park in the historic Northern Piedmont
area of Virginia.
Whereas the Northern Piedmont area of Virginia is a place
which is dear to the hearts of all Americans and inex-
tricably bound to the Nation’s formation from the Colo-
nial Period through the American Revolution, the Federal
Period, and the years leading to the Civil War;
Whereas the Northern Piedmont area is the land of the
Founding Fathers—Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe—
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and boasts some of the most spectacularly beautiful land-
scapes in America;
Whereas the American Civil War is recognized as the defining
point in the history of the United States;
Whereas the Northern Piedmont area is home to 32 Civil
War battle sites and 38 historic districts;
Whereas the Northern Piedmont area stands as the gateway
to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National
Park;
Whereas great effort has been expended to ensure that much
of the Northern Piedmont area remains today much as
it was during the period of the American Revolution and
the Civil War;
Whereas Congress recognized the importance of the Northern
Piedmont area in 1988 by exercising a seldom used legis-
lative taking to prevent inappropriate development on his-
torically significant land near Manassas National Battle-
field Park, site of 2 of the most important battles of the
Civil War;
Whereas the Walt Disney Company’s proposed theme park,
‘‘Disney’s America’’, would be located in the heart of the
Northern Piedmont area;
Whereas the proposed theme park would bring to the North-
ern Piedmont area extensive real estate development
equivalent, in effect, to a new city comprised of 2,281
new residential buildings, 2 golf courses, and 1,900,000
square feet of new retail shopping space, in addition to
an unknown amount of additional development on the
fringes of the Disney property;
Whereas a traffic study authorized by and conducted for the
Walt Disney Company indicates that traffic in the vicin-
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ity of the proposed theme park will, at a minimum, dou-
ble by the year 2010;
Whereas such an increase would greatly affect the 2 main
thoroughfares, Virginia Route 234 and United States
Highway 29, that lead through the Manassas National
Battlefield Park, which is the historic site nearest to the
proposed theme park;
Whereas the cumulative effect of this massive development
and increased traffic congestion would represent a serious
threat to the area’s historic, scenic, and environmental
resources;
Whereas it is the responsibility of the executive branch to en-
sure compliance with Federal environmental, transpor-
tation, and historic preservation statutes; and
Whereas it is the duty of the Congress to oversee the stew-
ardship of the Nation’s invaluable and irreplaceable his-
toric resources, while upholding the right of States to
promote economic development and the right of individ-
uals and corporations to engage in commerce: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the Department of the Interior, the Depart-
ment of Transportation, the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, and other executive agencies with rel-
evant jurisdiction should evaluate the Walt Disney
Company’s proposed theme park and ensure that it
is in strict compliance with existing Federal environ-
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mental, transportation, and historic preservation
statutes;
(2) the congressional committees of jurisdiction
should hold comprehensive hearings to examine the
environmental, transportation, and historic preserva-
tion aspects of both the proposed theme park and
the associated development of the area surrounding
the proposed theme park;
(3) the historic Northern Piedmont area of Vir-
ginia should not be the site of a massive theme park
and real estate project; and
(4) the Walt Disney Company should seek an-
other location for its proposed theme park—whether
elsewhere in the County of Prince William or in the
Commonwealth of Virginia—where the impact of the
proposed theme park would not disturb areas of
such great historical significance as the Northern
Piedmont area of Virginia.
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