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LEGOLAND Considers Building Theme Park in Stafford County
October 22nd, 2013
By Katie Thisdell
LEGOLAND is considering building a new family-friendly theme park in Stafford
County that would be only the third of its kind in the nation.
Government officials are in the preliminary stages of considering an incentives
package to woo the park to the Centreport Parkway area off Interstate 95. The
decision could hinge on the financial impact the interactive, child-oriented
theme park could bring.
In an Oct. 2 letter to to LEGOLAND General Manager of development John Ussher
labeled “confidential,” County Administrator Anthony Romanello confirmed the
county is committed to meeting the company’s needs, pending the outcome of a
financial analysis. A copy was anonymously mailed to The Free Lance–Star this
week.
“Please know that Stafford is the right place for this development, and we
intend to become an extension of your team as you mobilize on this important
project,” Romanello wrote.
The LEGO themed parks are owned and operated by Merlin Entertainments Group. The
British company runs other amusement parks and attractions, including the Madame
Tussauds wax museums and Sea Life aquariums across the United States. It is the
largest such company in Europe and the second largest in the world behind Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts.
“It’s quite noteworthy that a company like LEGOLAND has its eye on Stafford
County,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Stimpson said Tuesday.
Other U.S. sites are also under consideration. A spokeswoman in LEGOLAND England
office said the company is “nowhere near” a decision.
“The decision-making processes relating to the development of a potential major
new theme park is a very long and complicated one, and we would never comment on
any project until it is finally approved by our own Board, and we have obtained
agreements with all key stakeholders. No plans are at that stage for LEGOLAND in
the USA,” Sally Ann Wilkinson, head of corporate affairs for Merlin
Entertainments, wrote in an email.
Should LEGOLAND select Stafford, the company could invest tens of millions of
dollars in the county and bring hundreds of jobs, Romanello said in interview
Tuesday.
Stafford hired Washington-based Brailsford & Dunlavey to independently evaluate
LEGOLAND projected financial impact, including how much money visitors may spend
directly at the park, as well as area hotels and restaurants.
“The ripple effects are endless,” Deputy County Administrator and Economic
Development Director Tim Baroody said.
While saying there could be a “dramatically positive impact” on Stafford,
Stimpson noted that the board has not made a decision on whether to offer
incentives. Supervisors also want to know more about the impact on traffic and
other county services, she said.
LEGOLAND has two styles of entertainment venues. The theme parks offer
child-size rides and shows, along with interactive attractions and building
challenges. The smaller discovery centers are ideal for two to three hours of
indoor playing.
Of the six theme parks worldwide, two are in America—one opened in San Diego
County, Calif., in 1999, and the newest and largest opened in 2011 in Lakeland,
Fla., between Orlando and Tampa. A sixth park open in Malaysia last year.
LEGOLAND Parks are geared toward families with children between the ages of 2
and 12, who can let their imaginations run wild while exploring a world made of
the colorful toy bricks. Unlike many other amusement parks, roller coasters
aren’t the focus.
This isn’t the first time LEGOLAND has looked at the Fredericksburg area for a
possible entertainment complex. Fitz Johnson, president of Johnson Realty
Advisors, said he showed LEGOLAND officials several sites along Interstate 95
more than a decade ago, but the company didn’t pursue a local investment then.
The company is looking at land owned by Dan Melrod and The Peterson Cos. along
Centreport Parkway, according to Romanello’s letter. Peterson is developing
National Harbor outside Washington. Melrod and Peterson officials couldn’t be
reached for comment.
The Centreport Parkway corridor has remained largely underused despite the new
interchange being built nearly a decade ago to serve the Stafford Airport.
Romanello said he has consulted with his counterparts in Hanover and James City
counties, homes to Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens. He was told the amusement
parks are “good neighbors and great revenue generators.”
Earlier this year, Stafford received authority from the General Assembly to levy
an admissions tax at one unidentified economic prospect. That tax would be on
ticket sales—up to 10 percent of the cost—at the entertainment venue that’d be
at least 75 acres, and it would expire in July 2015 if no venue exists.
Romanello said the county could ask the state to alter the deadline if need be,
if LEGOLAND does become a reality.
Over the past year, the Stafford Board of Supervisors has discussed LEGOLAND in
closed session several times. Stimpson said she and other members of the board
are familiar with LEGOLAND personally, having visited with their children.
“It is a wonderful family place,” she said.
Like the other locations, a Stafford park would likely be open dawn to dusk, and
wouldn’t hold late-night events, Romanello said.
A team of economic development staff and county officials visited the Florida
location in January, and are continuing to build a relationship with the
company.
The board is expected to review the results of the financial analysis in
November, and then will give direction as to what a next step may be. Romanello
would not identify incentives that might be offered, but the county could
provide something to LEGOLAND by the end of the calendar year.
“Everything is very preliminary,” Stimpson said, “and we’re making ourselves
available to any and all business that want to locate here.”
Source:
http://news.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2013/10/22/legoland-considers-building-theme-park-in-stafford-county/
FredRick
Note: Stafford County is in the State of Virginia.
As if November 2013, there are six LEGOLAND Parks around the world.
LEGOLAND Billund open in 1968
LEGOLAND Windsor open in 1996
LEGOLAND California open in 1999
LEGOLAND Deutschland open in 2002
LEGOLAND Florida open in 2011
LEGOLAND Malaysia open in 2012
-end of report-
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