Disney Rumor Reignited

[elorac]

If anyone is interested, this article ran in the newspaper today in Springfield, Missouri. This would be great, but of course, I'm not holding my breath!

Disney rumor reignited
Newton County officials told of possible theme park plans.

Kathryn Buckstaff
News-Leader

A request for road improvements for a $1.1 billion theme park in Newton County has led to new speculation about the Walt Disney Co.'s interest in southwest Missouri. Rumors that a Disney attraction was coming to Branson were rampant in the mid-1990s. Now, Newton County Commissioners are investigating whether Disney could be linked to a theme park proposal made earlier this month. Jerry Carter, Newton County Presiding Commissioner, said the notion arose after Todd Marshall, who said he represented a Springfield company called ARM Risk, attended the April 12 commissioners' meeting. Carter asked about changes on county roads leading to the location the company is considering for a theme park.
A list of specifications Marshall gave the commissioners included first-phase construction costs of $1.1 billion, land purchases of 1,000 acres with the park taking 100 acres, six hotels, 95 shops, 27 rides, 12 stages and 18 restaurants.
A possible Disney connection was raised when commissioners checked the company owners. On a form called "Registration of Fictitious Name" filed with the Missouri Secretary of State's office in March for ARM Risk, three owners are listed. Corporations routinely file such forms. The owners are Michael Hill of Wilmington, Del.; Robert Brown, who lists his address as 500 South Buena Vista St., Burbank, Calif.; and Jason Johnson, who lists his address as Corporate Office, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. On the Internet, commissioners found that the Burbank address is corporate headquarters of the Walt Disney Co. Lake Buena Vista, Fla., is headquarters of Walt Disney World Resort. Officials at Disney headquarters in Burbank said the company would not comment on the matter.

[wrfd18]

Just saw something on the St. Louis Fox news about the above post.

[cetacean01]

Remember in the early 90's Disney tried to build Disneys "America" theme park here in Virginia. It was going to be in northern VA near the civil war battlefields. It gets mighty cold there in the winter and all of our parks are seasonal.Long story short, the people went beserk and forced Disney out of the area so that their property values wouldn't decrease during the construction phases (one of the richest neighborhoods in the country up there). When it didn't happen ,Eisner took those resources and created Disney theatrical productions instead.
So............ Disney has announced lately that it was interested in new developments like Niche parks and resorts. I think at this point in the game, and with their history with the America park, anything can happen almost anywhere.

[elorac]

Something else to consider, land is very inexpensive in southwest Missouri and this area is considered the geographic center of the continental U.S.

Well, I can always hope...

[Marker]

The Kansas City news was reporting the Branson story. If it's not Disney, it'll be interesting to see who it is.

1000 acres is a pretty good size piece of land.

[DarbyB]

A request for road improvements for a $1.1 billion theme park in Newton County has led to new speculation about the Walt Disney Co.'s interest in southwest Missouri.
Rumors that a Disney attraction was coming to Branson were rampant in the mid-1990s. Now, Newton County Commissioners are investigating whether Disney could be linked to a theme park proposal made earlier this month.

Jerry Carter, Newton County Presiding Commissioner, said the notion arose after Todd Marshall, who said he represented a Springfield company called ARM Risk, attended the April 12 commissioners' meeting. Carter asked about changes on county roads leading to the location the company is considering for a theme park.
A list of specifications Marshall gave the commissioners included first-phase construction costs of $1.1 billion, land purchases of 1,000 acres with the park taking 100 acres, six hotels, 95 shops, 27 rides, 12 stages and 18 restaurants.
"We want to be cautious and careful," Carter said. "We live in an opportunistic world and sometimes things come along we can't even conceive of."
A possible Disney connection was raised when commissioners checked the company owners. On a form called "Registration of Fictitious Name" filed with the Missouri Secretary of State's office in March for ARM Risk, three owners are listed. Corporations routinely file such forms.
The owners are Michael Hill of Wilmington, Del.; Robert Brown, who lists his address as 500 South Buena Vista St., Burbank, Calif.; and Jason Johnson, who lists his address as Corporate Office, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
On the Internet, commissioners found that the Burbank address is corporate headquarters of the Walt Disney Co. Lake Buena Vista, Fla., is headquarters of Walt Disney World Resort.
Officials at Disney headquarters in Burbank said the company would not comment on the matter.
The secretary of state's office has only an administrative role in filing business registrations, said communications assistant Ryan Hobart.
When someone signs the registration, he or she is legally bound to give correct information, Hobart said.
ARM Risk's address is listed as 1926 S. Glenstone Ave., Suite 353, Springfield, on the registration.
Todd Marshall could not be reached for comment. No phone listing could be obtained for ARM Risk.
Carter, who is 71, is a Newton County native. He said that such a project would forever change the county. The area where the company is seeking to buy land is mostly small acreage and some farms of 60 to 100 acres, Carter said. It is in the southwest quadrant of the junction of U.S. 71 and Interstate 44.
Some residents would be interested in the project, and some wouldn't, he predicted.
"We're right between two of the largest growth areas in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, so we are becoming accustomed to shock here," Carter said. Just to the south is the Bentonville area and to the north is Joplin.
"It'll never be what it used to be."
In Branson, Herschend Family Entertainment spokes- woman Lisa Rau said they had not heard of the plans. The company owns the Silver Dollar City and Celebration City theme parks and other attractions.
Ross Summers, director of the Branson Lakes/Area Chamber of Commerce, said he also had heard of no such plans by Disney.
"These Disney rumors have floated around here for as long as I can remember," Summers said.
Developer Glenn Patch heard lots of Disney rumors after he purchased 7,000 acres of land just south of Hollister in the early '90s. His land is now the site of two golf courses, upscale homes and a commercial airport in development.
"When I was first coming here, I thought about painting a pair of black ears on my plane just for the fun of it," Patch said.

[joelkfla]

Seems odd that Disney would set up a sham corporation and then use their corporate address for the officers!

I think Walt & Roy were quite a bit more circumspect when they were buying up land for the Florida Project.

[Ian]

I don't know much about the spot, but Missouri sure seems like a strange choice to me?

I mean I know Rasulo just talked about possible new themed destination resorts, but in Missouri??

I mean no offense to those from the Show Me State or anything, but when I think "vacation destination" Missouri is not the first spot that pops into my head.

[crazy4disneyworld]

I don't know much about the spot, but Missouri sure seems like a strange choice to me?

I mean I know Rasulo just talked about possible new themed destination resorts, but in Missouri??

I mean no offense to those from the Show Me State or anything, but when I think "vacation destination" Missouri is not the first spot that pops into my head.

Walt Disney actually considered St. Louis as the location of Disney World before deciding on Florida.

I agree with you, though, Missouri doesn't scream Vacationland to me. I also doubt that Disney will be expanding in the States in the near future because their priority right now seems to be overseas expansion.

[JPL]

A list of specifications Marshall gave the commissioners included first-phase construction costs of $1.1 billion, land purchases of 1,000 acres with the park taking 100 acres, six hotels, 95 shops, 27 rides, 12 stages and 18 restaurants.

This is the part that makes no sense to me $1.1 billion is not a lot of Construction dollars especially for the list of of what is being built. And no Disney Park has ever opened with 27 Rides.

Now if this came out ans said they were using the land for a small niche park and the much talked about franchising out of the DTD shopping areas and they are putting in one of the planned Disney Themed hotels I would say sounds reasonable. It really does seem to go against all the company has been publicly stating as their expansion plans.

I have to say this sounds like another Theme Park Company or just some people who own a bunch of land that isn't worth very much and they want to make a nice profit on it.

Sorry I'm going to borrow a little from the state and ask "Show Me More"

[Marker]

I don't know much about the spot, but Missouri sure seems like a strange choice to me?

I mean I know Rasulo just talked about possible new themed destination resorts, but in Missouri??

I mean no offense to those from the Show Me State or anything, but when I think "vacation destination" Missouri is not the first spot that pops into my head.

Ok, gotta stick up for my state a little here.... actually, I think Missouri IS a wonderful vacation destination. In fact I can safely say that Missouri has been my most frequented vacation state.

Actually, it never fails to amaze me that almost every time I'm in Florida, I see TV adds for trips to Branson. Branson is definitly a huge regional destination, if not national (the Rosanne show even did an episode about going to Branson). And Branson works hard to stay "family" oriented with all of it's entertainment options, which would fit in with Disney style. So it really doesn't surprise me all that much. Although I'm not buying into the rumor.

Also, there are definitely Disney ties to Missouri, with Marceline and Kansas City, neither of which are anywhere near Branson though.

[RockChalkKimball]

While not my favorite spot to vacation, I must say that Branson has become quite a tourist destination. Anyone who has been there in the spring or fall can attest to the HUGE crowds and traffic jams that can occur in and around Branson. While I would love to have a bit of the "magic" closer to me, I wouldn't give up my pilgrimages to "the world'.

[elorac]

This is the part that makes no sense to me $1.1 billion is not a lot of Construction dollars especially for the list of of what is being built. And no Disney Park has ever opened with 27 Rides.

Now if this came out ans said they were using the land for a small niche park and the much talked about franchising out of the DTD shopping areas and they are putting in one of the planned Disney Themed hotels I would say sounds reasonable. It really does seem to go against all the company has been publicly stating as their expansion plans.

I have to say this sounds like another Theme Park Company or just some people who own a bunch of land that isn't worth very much and they want to make a nice profit on it.

Sorry I'm going to borrow a little from the state and ask "Show Me More"

I read this to mean that first phase construction would total 1.1 billion, not necessarily the entire project. Possibly just infrastructure and buying property to begin with and the stated number of hotels, rides, stores etc. being the end goal. Who knows how many phases this would include. Assuming this is even more that just a rumour

I don't know much about the spot, but Missouri sure seems like a strange choice to me?

I mean I know Rasulo just talked about possible new themed destination resorts, but in Missouri??

I mean no offense to those from the Show Me State or anything, but when I think "vacation destination" Missouri is not the first spot that pops into my head.

No offense taken. I agree, my vacations always take place away from Missouri. However, the popularity of Branson is staggering and, I must admit, confusing to me. Not necessarily my kind of vacation but I can understand the family-oriented appeal. This coupled with the info I stated earlier about being centralized in the U.S. and the inexpensive cost of land.

Oh well, this is probably only a pipe dream...

[JohnnyJayhawk]

I'm not a big fan of Branson, but there's no debate that it is a tourist destination. I would just be surprised that Disney would go someplace without a major airport nearby (or is there one I'm not aware of?).

If Disney were to go to the midwest, I'd think Kansas City would be more attractive. A recent report cited KC as having the greatest economic growth potential of any city in the country. There's a major airport. Plus, western KC is blowing up right now: there's a Nascar-type race track, minor league baseball stadium, and Schlitterbahn is in negotiations to develop a 600+ acre water park/resort complex...all in the same area.

Still, as noted above, the midwest winters make this whole idea suspect to me.

[Chickie]

Just checking in on this subject. I heard the news last night, too, and I was wondering if you guys were discussing this or not.
I'm not sure what to think. I can remember a rumor about this going around about South EAST Missouri, around Ste. Genevieve. A man was buying up several farms in that area, supposedly because he knew Disney was eventually going to expand to that area. Ofcourse, that never happened...(yet).

But, I would almost think that THAT area would be more suitable since it is only about an hour south of St. Louis, which has a decent sized airport. I know Springfield has a small airport, but I'm not sure it could handle another larger "tourist" area. (But, I guess it could always expand).

I do really love the Branson area, though, if not for Branson, for the Table Rock Lake area.

I don't know...it will be interesting to see who this really is, and what will actually come of it, if anything.

[elorac]

I'm not a big fan of Branson, but there's no debate that it is a tourist destination. I would just be surprised that Disney would go someplace without a major airport nearby (or is there one I'm not aware of?).

The area in question (Newton County, MO) is about 1 hour west of Springfield and Branson. They are expanding the Springfield-Branson National Airport with a new terminal to be completed in '08 and, I believe, future plans for additional runways.
There is also Tulsa International Airport, approx. 1 to 1½ hours away.

[NotaGeek]

I think to be a vacation destination there really needs to be an easily accessible and major international airport ... and St. Louis doesn't really count since it's over 250 miles away. I do know that LOTS of people migrate to Branson every summer for it's pull from the country music industry, but I don't see the MAJOR amount of tourists from outside the USA making the trek to Missouri without more direct or at least more convenient air travel access, even for Disney.

It will be interesting to see what develops.

[Marceline]

The "midwestern winter" doesn't hit southern Missouri nearly as hard as Northern and Central MO. The parks and attractions in Branson host very popular Christmas time festivities. The worst weather would come in Jan. and Feb. and that is the tourism off season anyways.

Missouri makes complete sense to me. I am a little biased of course as I am a Missourian. But so was Walt. He grew up here, got his start as an artist here, he loved Missouri!

There is a ton of stuff to do in Branson even if you aren't a country music fan, a Disney park would just wonderfully expand those options.

[elorac]

I think to be a vacation destination there really needs to be an easily accessible and major international airport ... and St. Louis doesn't really count since it's over 250 miles away. I do know that LOTS of people migrate to Branson every summer for it's pull from the country music industry, but I don't see the MAJOR amount of tourists from outside the USA making the trek to Missouri without more direct or at least more convenient air travel access, even for Disney.

For people outside the US, I think the logical destination would be Disneyworld or Disneyland, being near a coast. A park built in Missouri would be more of a pull for all of us who live in mid-America, where for many it is cost prohibitive to fly across the country to vacation at Disney. Likewise, I doubt Disney in Paris was ever intended to be a major draw for Americans.

[DarbyB]

Just wanted to say that what most people don’t know is that just about 30 min to the south is Wal-Mart country the area is booming because the Wal-Mart headquarters is in Bentonville. Every company walmart deals with has an office here. They just finished widing the highway to the south to 40 highway.
nw arkansaw has a new airport. so as far as people getting to the location easy. 2 airports fighting over traffic and expanding already. 3rd in joplin that could use some biz. Travel author Pauline Frommer in 2006 listed Branson as a "Top 10 Worldwide Holiday Destination. The site is Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population. Branson has 7.2 million visitors annually and growing.{Still I think that its a scam some one wants to sell some land fast and make good money on sell?