MUSCLE SHOALS – Local and state politicians are having a lot to talk about this afternoon as word is spreading like wildfire about a proposed 14-hundred acre theme park on the TVA Reservation in Muscle Shoals. But hold on… Hold on. In an effort to not put the proverbial cart before the proverbial horse, it is wise to slow down and take a look at just what has been said and done.
Today, rumors began spreading around The Shoals about a South African media production company operating out of Fort Worth and Orlando that has expressed an interest in developing a swath of land along 2nd Street between Woodward and Highway 41 into a theme park. Company officials with DreamVision say that they’re interested in developing the site into a family friendly attraction. They indicate that it’s going to take $3.5-billion. The DreamVision website’s banner says the company intends to, “Re-Define Family Entertainment Landscape Globally. The Next Disney/Pixar?”
According to State of Alabama official there has been no notification with the state about the project in Muscle Shoals. DreamVision has stated in a release that they would be holding a press conference on February 11th at the Marriott Shoals Hotel to discuss the proposed project.
Mayor David Bradford of Muscle Shoals, the city wherein the park would be situated, said that he was unaware of the plans until he was contacted by several news media companies, including The Quad-Cities Daily.
Retirement Systems of Alabama C.E.O., Dr. David Bronner said that he was unaware of any such plans and was not familiar with DreamVision. Bronner’s organization operates the Marriott and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Resorts across Alabama.
Sheffield Mayor, Ian Sanford said in an exclusive interview with The Quad-Cities Daily, “I hope it happens. This could be as big for our area as the inception of TVA itself.” He continued, “I hope it happens. This is something that you only dream about. It would help everyone.” Sanford acknowledged that the Devil, however, resides in the details, of which there is an exceptionally miniscule supply.
The Quad-Cities Daily is attempting to contact DreamVision for more information.
Sheri Wiggins is co-writer of this report.
4 comments
What exciting times! Just the thought of “something big happening” in The Shoals, has at least got everyone talking. So many are unemployed, under-employed and some have even given-up on finding a job. I hope we can all agree, that this would be a “dream come true”, for so many talented young people, in our area.
What happened to all the hazardous waste that killed the golf course proposal?
Just a point of clarification….. The proposed attraction is most likely to be on the TVA property that has been declared surplus, approximately 900 plus acres is located on federal land, not in any municipality. The proposed “golf course” was to be mainly north of reservation road to the river and yes, there was a “bad spot” but the course was basically changed due to the rigors of navigating the maze of TVA regulations, which Dr. Bronner became inpatient with. Thanks to the generosity of Harvey Robbins, the course was switched to its current location. As far as Dream Vision’s proposed project is concerned, I became aware of it approximately 10 weeks ago, when I was introduced to one of the “principles” by a mutual friend. I have learned to take most every idea seriously, especially when there are funds accompaning it. I was requested to set up a meeting with TVA officials, which I did. I know there has been on going discussion between the parties but I am not privy to what that has been. It is my understanding that TVA has many suitors interested in portions of this land to be auctioned. Being federal land, it MUST be auctioned and I do know that date has not been set yet, thus it still belongs to TVA. I kept what little I knew to myself because there was no story to tell. How this idea surfaced publicly, I have no way of knowing but I would suspect someone in the “know” leaked it. Regardless, I am personally very excited about the possibility of something of this magnitude happening in the Shoals. There are way too many people out of work and the thought of them having jobs TRULY excites me. Yes, there would be “growing pains” and “inconveniences” but this always happens with progress. I appreciate “Dream Vision” even considering such a project here and wish them much success in their efforts. Will this happen ….. I have no way of knowing but I am certainly pulling for them as I believe the majority of the area is also. I understand there are “naysayers” but I don’t understand why. I also don’t care if I am the first to know or the last to know on any project as long as it’s positive for our area. My apologizes if I rambled.
While i certainly hope it is real. The fact that they announced it BEFORE they secured the land decreases it’s credibility. Disney had to buy all of the land under shell companies down in Florida so people wouldn’t jack up the prices… Why would this company announce what they are going to do before they buy the land? It just doesn’t make any sense.
I work in this field of economic development and we see people like this all the time. They send out a press release to attempt to legitimize what they want to do. I don’t want to be a naysayer but from what I’ve seen so-far, it is unlikely to materialize. I guess we will see when they have their on site press event.