Friday, February 20, 2009

Dorney Receives New Zoning


They've tried in the past with no success, but Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom has finally received an updating zoning plan for its property located in South Whitehall Township, PA.

The previous zoning plan for the property included many different sections with varying heights for allowable rides. The new plan has two regions, the standard region and restricted region. According to today's Morning Call article, "The standard region, which is most of the park, will be open to rides up to a mean sea level elevation of 540 feet. From ground level, the maximum height of a ride could range from 160 to 230 feet. The restricted area is along the eastern boundary of the park and will allow rides up to 30 feet tall."

Apparently the park also has the ok to add three more tall rides to the park, at that point forward taller rides can only be added if others are retired from the park.

This will allow the park a much smoother approval process for new attractions, and allow them a better level of secrecy when developing new rides.


3 comments:

Jason said...

I hope Dorney adds those tall rides within the next few years!

Anonymous said...

So if they have zoning approval to build rides from 160 to 230 feet, why are they only allowed to build 3 more tall rides. Stupid south whitehall. I guess its better than nothing though.

NewsPlusNotes said...

It's certainly a giant leap in the right direction, yes. The park has struggled with local planning office issues for decades now. This should work to alleviate the process.

The biggest benefit? The park can now plans rides, sign contracts, and have things a done deal ahead of time (like all the other parks) without fear of being told no by local authorities.

So now if Cedar Fair starts, oh let's say buying wooden coasters in bulk, DP can get in line for one with very little worries.