Published: November 09, 2007 08:39 pm      

WHEATFIELD: Oz theme park still a reality

Officials anticipate big news soon

The Magical Lands of Oz theme park in the Town of Wheatfield is still very much a reality, according to officials involved with its development.

“There’s no reason to believe that it isn’t,” said Wheatfield Town Attorney Robert O’Toole. “A lot of effort and a lot of work have gone into it and continues to go into it.”

Wheatfield Supervisor Tim Demler said Thursday that representatives from Oz Central LLC, the Kentucky-based company that proposed the idea, requested a meeting with town officials for Wednesday.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of good news coming next week,” he said.

The 800-acre project with a price tag of around $800 million was first pitched for Wheatfield a few years ago because of three key attractions: its proximity to Niagara Falls, cheap land and what Demler says is a “business-friendly government” in Wheatfield.

Oz Central President Richard Burch initially proposed building the Magical Lands of Oz theme park in Houston but nixed that idea in favor of Niagara County. Demler said that’s because the company would have had to create a tourism market there, much like the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

“Here, they can tap into one on the American side and the Canadian side,” he said.

The timeframe for Oz has depended largely on the environmental review process. O’Toole said that’s in the hands of the government agencies involved in the impact studies.

Demler said a lot of bureaucratic red tape also contributed to the delay. However, he expressed optimism that Wednesday’s meeting will yield positive results for the project to move forward.

Any major update on the theme park would be a long time coming. The last public meeting Niagara County 8th District Legislator William L. Ross said he went to was over a year ago now. But, he said, Burch and his staff “are here, they’re working on it.”

He said that the county is also still on board with the project.

“We as a county are open for development,” he said. “The door is wide open, in fact.”

The idea behind the Magical Lands of Oz is based on the books of L. Frank Baum.

A 780,000-square-foot building will be used for year-round activities. In addition, plans call for a themed flagship hotel, four additional hotels and retail, dining and entertainment facilities.

Developers plan to use the existing lakes on the site as visual backgrounds while providing a buffer between the park and nearby homes. Oz would require an extension of the LaSalle Expressway to accommodate the main entrance into the theme park.

Burch estimated the theme park could draw around four million visitors a year while providing the area an infusion of $50 million to $70 million in sales tax revenue. The theme park would be constructed in three phases over several years, providing thousands of construction jobs. Demler has said previously that Oz will bring 5,000 full- and part-time jobs.

All told, the theme park itself will sit on 442 acres. Although the Magical Lands of Oz will occupy 800 total acres, significant space will be used as a buffer to protect nearby residents.

“Nobody in the town’s going to hear it or see it unless they buy a ticket and go in,” Demler said.

While the process has taken several years, Demler said, “All arrows and signals are pointing positive. It wasn’t easy, but it is going to be done right.”