The Washington Post is reporting that Disney has cancelled plans to build a 500-room resort project on 15 acres of land in Maryland's National Harbor development.
No details are provided to outline exactly how the project fell apart. However Jon Peterson of developer Peterson Companies is quoted as saying "there was always a little bit of uncertainty" surrounding Disney's plans for the site.
Disney acquired the land in May 2009 for $11 million. The Maryland purchase occurred several months after Disney announced its Ko Olna, Hawaii acquisition, a site which would eventally be home to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa--a combination resort hotel and Disney Vacation Club timeshare. It was widely assumed that DVC villas would play some role in whatever plans were assembled for the National Harbor site.
At the time, the lack of fanfare surrounding the National Harbor purchase stood in stark contrast to Disney's Hawaii project. The Aulani announcement featured a press conference with former Disney Parks head Jay Rasulo and the governor of Hawaii, appearances by Disney characters and a working model of the resort project.
The National Harbor purchase was announced via a press release which raised more questions than it answered. Only vague generalities were offered regarding the size and makeup of the resort. The announcement featured no govenment officials, no concept art and no construction start dates.
In April 2011 Gaylord Hotels announced that it had partnered with DreamWorks Animation to bring themed, family-friendly lodging to the National Harbor area.
Meanwhile Disney has struggled with its Aulani project, suspending sales for over 2 months in the summmer of 2011 while amending calculations of the timeshare resort's annual dues.
The Washington Post article does not reveal any details regarding ownership status of the land, but Disney's announcement seemingly puts an end to any talk of a themed hotel and Disney Vacation Club timeshare units on the National Harbor site.
Source: Washington Post
Thanks to Werner Weiss for the link! Visit Yesterland.com for another take on the cancellation of this project.
