TOWN OF GOSHEN – Merlin
Entertainment is hoping for Town of Goshen approvals within the next few
weeks so they can build their Legoland amusement park. The company’s
point man for the project, Phil Royle, updated local business people on
the plans at his office on Tuesday while opponents picketed outside.
Picketers protested outside ….
… while Royle made his points inside
Royle told the attendees that the company has modified its highway improvement plans to accommodate concerns of the community and has also scaled back its payment-in-lieu-of-taxes proposal from 30 years to 20 years.
If built, the theme park could attract between 1.5 and 2 million visitors a year with 30 percent coming from the New York metropolitan area.
With that premise, Royle said they have had preliminary discussions with Coach USA/ShortLine about providing bus service from Manhattan to Legoland.
“We already have an attraction, Madame Tussauds, which is the wax museum on 42nd Street,” Royle said. “So, we already have 2.5 million people a year going to that attraction, but now they might want to go to Orange County.”
The dozen or so people walking on the sidewalk in front of the Merlin office carried signs in opposition to siting the amusement park.
One of the group’s organizers, Debra Corr, wants to keep tabs on those business people supporting the project so they can boycott them.
“Why would we give our money to a company that is actually promoting an illegal amusement park here in our town?” Corr asked. “It’s illegal. Why isn’t our town board facing up to our laws, which is 97-10, and we did this to protect our quality of life here.”
Corr said other issues of concern are the damage to the habitat, air quality, traffic and the overall quality of life.
If they get the local approvals in the next few months, Royle said they would hope to open the facility in the summer of 2019.
