[wdwspider]

The Waterpark was approved and will open 2007.

County panel OKs SeaWorld water park

By Christopher Boyd | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 11, 2005

Can SeaWorld be 2-day destination?
Jul 22, 2005

SeaWorld's plan to build a new water theme park effectively won approval from Orange County government Wednesday, all but clearing the way for ground breaking this fall.

The county Design Review Committee recommended several small changes to SeaWorld's plan for the still unnamed park. The committee plans to take final action later this month, with final approval nearly certain.

The committee unanimously approved the plan after rejecting a call from the leader of a community group for a detailed study of the park's effect on nearby streets. The 58-acre tract, which is adjacent to SeaWorld, is on the east side of International Drive, south of Sea Harbor Drive.

"We will have no less than 10,000 more vehicles on the roads every day," said Jerry Pastore, who lives in Williamsburg, a subdivision near the proposed attraction. "All those cars would put people, especially the senior residents, who live here at risk of life and limb."

The design committee's review was limited in scope. The planned park was approved in the late 1980s. The committee needed to find whether the current plan conforms to the project approved 17 years ago.

Committee Chairman David Heath said his board had no authority to put the project on hold to conduct a traffic study.

"The fact is that this was approved in 1988," Heath said. "This is a development plan that doesn't require a public hearing."

Last month, SeaWorld met with the Williamsburg community. On Wednesday, SeaWorld told planners it wouldn't make fireworks -- which Williamsburg residents opposed -- a feature of the new park.

SeaWorld expects to open the park in 2007. It will add about 1,000 employees to the current work force of 5,000.

"The process is moving forward as expected," SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said. "We are pleased with the decision and look forward to ground breaking."

The new park will give visitors a chance to come in close contact with marine life. One of its signature elements will be a series of clear acrylic flume slides that will propel customers through a lagoon that contains South American dolphins.

A 15-day appeal period will follow formal approval of the project. Pastore said he will appeal, though he said he doesn't expect to succeed. He said there should be a limit on the amount of time that can elapse between approval of a development plan and ground breaking.

"Residents of Orange County need a wake-up call," Pastore said. "They need to tell elected officials that there should be a three-year cap on approvals. A plan approved in 1988 shouldn't still be valid."

[Dana]

interesting.....

[JEANY031]

what seaworld here in orlando or someplace else.

[bumble]

Originally Posted by JEANY031

what seaworld here in orlando or someplace else.

The one in Orlando. Lots of people who live next to where the water park is to be built are a bit upset about it though. They don't want more traffic in/near their neighborhoods. However.....not to sound unsymapthetic, but the news did say that Sea World owned the property where the water park is to be built before the neighborhood was built. I guess some people did not check into who owned the empty looking property before they bought their own. It's kind of sad for them.

[ARIEL]

I kinda feel sorry for the poor guys who live in that neighbourhood. I know I would not be all that pleased with a waterpark being built in 'my back yard' as it were. But like you say, Seaworld owned the land in the first instance and must have always had that land earmarked for some new project. Anyone buying property these days should have access to their surrounding areas and I am sure if they had wanted to find info out on the land around them then they could have found out who owned it. Maybe, they didn't actually buy it under the name Seaworld, maybe it was brought under a pseudenim (sp?) .........whatever, I am quite excited at the prospect but really do feel for those homeowners.

[Cavey]

Originally Posted by bumble

I guess some people did not check into who owned the empty looking property before they bought their own. It's kind of sad for them.

Depends on who lived their first!

Are they really expecting 10,000 cars per day for a water park??????

[dznygrl]

Clear acrylic tunnels surrounded by dolphins! Sounds like that waterslide at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. I always wanted to go there just so I could go on that slide! LOL. Now I'll just have to go to Orlando I guess.

I feel pretty bad for those homeowners...but at the same time, that area is growing soooo fast it's only a matter of time before neighborhoods around those theme parks start getting crowded and eventually pushed out.

[wdwspider]

Here's a cool picture to give you a better idea. I have saw the Atlantis resort slide before, this seems to be a step up from that one if the final version looks anything like the picture seen here.

[dznygrl]

THAT looks too cool! Definitely a step up from what I've seen at the Atlantis.

[Amelia's Man]

Wow! That really looks cool! I missed going to Sea World this year, as we couldn't fit it into our tight itinerary! Hopefully next time though!