^^^^

Big project with lots of square footage over a large area. Many components to it.

I thought it was just minor fixes and paint
what about the ferris wheel??

Sports Authority executive pledges to promote Meadowlands as tourist destination

http://www.northjersey.com/polopoly_...ican-dream.jpg

AUGUST 4, 2015, 6:23 PM BY LINDA MOSS

From Thursday

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/...7e8c8e42_b.jpg
Cranes Galore in the Meadowlands by Corey Best, on Flickr

I had to go to Lodi,NJ today for some site work, and I passed by the complex when I got off the Turnpike. Lots of cranes, and lots of construction going on. Big chunk of it is finishing up. Facade looks wicked, and they are working on the elements for the parking lots. Also, some interior work as there where trucks loading stuff in and it was somewhat exposed. Kinda surprised at the army of workers that they had. Really pushing for the 2017 opening.

For now, looks like a big part of the exterior is finished. Seems like its mostly interior work that will take most of the effort for 2016.

Breaking News!

http://www.northjersey.com/news/busi...lers-1.1415006

"Ten more retailers were announced for American Dream Meadowlands on Monday by developer Triple Five, which has set fall 2017 as the opening for the shopping and entertainment complex.

Familiar women's clothing retailers Victoria's Secret and Lulelemon are joined by venerable mall stores Banana Republic and The Gap; MAC cosmetics; and a Microsoft computer store. Also on the latest list are Aritzia, Uniqlo, Zara, and Pink."

"The new signups follow last week's announcement of Hermes as well as news earlier this month that a Saks Fifth OFF Fifth outlet store as well as 100,000-square-foot anchor tenants Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Ghermezian said the latter two stores would be the largest at the site."

Any chance they can get IZOD reopened?

I think what could really set this center off would be extending the HBLR the 3 miles to here. That would make access much easier to those without cars. The NJ Transit station is usually only open during Football games or special events right?

Izod is closed. to be demolished??

what are the new mall colors??
the old blue/white and orange.......

I'm salivating at the prospect of yet another flop at Xanadu American Dream Mall. The concept of yet another mega mall just seems so 1990s. Personally, all this development in the Medowlands has led to an ecological disaster. It should not have been developed, but greed won out. Plus it's a headache to get to without a car.

The region is big enough with 19 million CSA that they can afford another mall or two without issues. It will not fail. In fact, for such a big metropolis, there are rather few large and decent suburban malls compared to other parts of the world which have many more for a smaller population. jersey needs better shopping destinations.

There is a reason why Xanadu I & II, along with Izod, have failed. The location sucks! Time will tell if this American Dream mall monstrosity will meet the same fate. I can only hope.

We have 5 Malls in this County , one of them being one of the worlds largest which is a few miles up the road. On top of that all our state highways are lined with retail stores and restaurants. Its the same with Long Island and too a lesser extent the Hudson Valley & Connecticut. Some of the Malls in this region are started to decline and rapidly.... So adding another mall is a waste in my opinion.

Aquarium, Legoland center are latest additions to American Dream project

http://www.northjersey.com/news/aqua...ject-1.1423036

what are the new colors ??
also ferris wheel??

This POS is never going to open.

http://jerseydigs.com/another-delay-...dream-complex/

Good. Let it die. That location is perfect for building a replacement for the Port Authority Bus Terminal, tied to Manhattan with an extension of the 7 train. All that parking space that's empty six days a week, and seven most of the year, would make a great park and ride. And, of course, when there are games (or other events) at Met Life, all that bus and subway service will make them very easy to get to.

I had looked at two locations. One is where the Secaucus Home Depot is now. The other was this. The presence of this mall would have greatly complicated that. If it goes away, the location is available.

I can't believe that Triple Five is still able to get financing on any of their projects. If you look at their track record they have filed bankruptcy on many of the projects they started. It will inevitably fall into the hands of the state or another developer to finish the project and pay for its up keep. This is exactly how it went down in my hometown.

i think they are still building a big mall in miami florida.
what bankruptcy stuff are you talking about?

That location is even worse for a bus terminal as it has no Regional rail connection other then a small stub off the Pascack Valley... It should be demolished and returned to wetlands....

There is no bankruptcy. Triple Five are building gigantic malls in NJ and Florida. The NJ one is 90% finished, and will be open within a year.

What color did they chose to paint the outside?

I can't fathom who imagines the future of retail to still be these enormous hulks of enclosed shops and plazas. In the new era of Amazon hegemony, there's just no way this place will ever be profitable.

And besides, who wants to shop in the middle of an unpopulated marsh when so many other non-soggy shopping options are nearby?

Class A malls have never been more profitable. Retailers have are long waiting lists to get into top-tier malls.

Amazon is never going to stop higher end in-person retailing. In fact it's planning its own retail outlets, as are most e-commerce outlets.

It's the crap malls, in overbuilt markets, that have suffered. But in the NYC area, which is generally underbuilt, with few suburban malls built over the last 30-40 years, malls just don't go out of business.

Keep in mind, too, that most of the space at American Dream isn't going to traditional retail outlets, but to theaters, recreation, sports, hotels, theme parks and the like.
I don't know what this means. The mall isn't being built in an "unpopulated marsh". You won't get soggy, just like you don't get soggy at the Riverside Square Mall in NJ, which is, yeah, next to a river.

Build the rail connection into the city (extending the city #7 line.) This could also be tied into the Secaucus junction NJ Transit station.

As much as I'd like to see this thing die and be repurposed, if it completed, I don't see may shoppers slogging though chest deep swamp water to get to it.

Obviously the structure itself isn't plopped physically into a marsh - I mean to say that it's inconveniently tucked between major highways, rail infrastructure, and flat tidal estuaries. Sure, it's relatively connected to hubs like Elizabeth, Hoboken, etc., but it's not exactly close to them either. And given that a trip to 5th Avenue or SoHo is about as far as Xanadu is, I know which destination I'd ultimately choose.

are they still building adding the new theme park thing?

http://rew-online.com/wp-content/upl...43-938x535.jpg

http://rew-online.com/2016/08/17/ame...tly-nightmare/

http://www.mr-mag.com/new-digital-re...an-dream-mall/


http://www.mr-mag.com/wp-content/upl...5-1024x512.jpg



• Video Link

What an abomination. It looks like the product of a dystopian society.

American Dream’s elusive promise

=============================
http://www.northjersey.com/story/opi...mise/95101430/

I hate this thing. How many public and private dollars have been spent on this thing. Throwing good money after bad. I hope the Meadowlands just sinks into the city. Only good thing to come from global warming.

It will probably be the biggest tourist attraction in NJ from the day it opens. It's also good in that it's a transit-oriented development, and part of the recentering of the metropolitan area into the core. And it offers many things just not available elsewhere (indoor amusement park, indoor ski hill, mega-ferris wheel, etc.). It should draw a ton of tourists who otherwise would stick mostly to Manhattan.

And the retail demand has been huge. They're lining up practically every luxury retailer in existence. They even got Saks to relocate from Mall at Short Hills, which is one of the most profitable luxury shopping centers on earth.

On the other hand, yeah, why is a shopping/amusement/entertainment complex receiving public subsidies? The problem is that so many billions have been sunk into the complex, so it makes sense to finish.

WNYC did a series on this project:

http://www.wnyc.org/story/mall-madness-part-one/

If you listen to it you realize it's even worse than you think.

When I look at the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex, the last thing that comes to mind is transit-oriented development. I'm aware there is a NJ Transit stop nearby, but I can't see transit gaining much of a share of the the model split with the car.

Not a good thing, IMO. It's like tourists who come to Manhattan and take a bus to Woodbridge Center Mall. Why? Far cheaper places in the world if wanting to patronage a suburban mall.

:shrug: Malls are in the decline in many places across the country, but this new one is suppose to be a success? Personally, it's a tricky place to get too by car, let alone by transit.

There is a reason why the private market wouldn't build this crap. If it ever does opens, I bet it goes the way of the Izod Center. If it ever opens.

How Not to Build a Supermall: $5 Billion, 5 Governors, 3 Developers, and 15 Years
Chris Christie once called American Dream “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey.” Will it ever open?

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2...an-dream-mall/

Well it is a transit oriented development. Parking will be limited and expensive. Rail and bus service will be frequent. Much of the traffic will be tourists, who won't be coming in cars. The site is well served by transit, and just a few miles west of Manhattan. It's in the region's core.
NYC gets tons of international tourists, and the U.S. has much cheaper retail than other countries, especially for luxury goods, which is why you see hordes of foreigners in the malls surrounding NYC, LA, and Miami. My in-laws (living in Germany) spend thousands on retail on their trips to the U.S.
This isn't a mall, really, and malls aren't in decline. Low-end malls are in decline, but high end malls (like Mall at Short Hills, Garden State Plaza, Roosevelt Field Mall, The Westchester) have never been more profitable. And the majority of revenues are non-retail uses.
The private market did build this, but NJ taxpayers have subsidized the loans, largely because the financing required this (and because Christie is an idiot, but that's another story). Just because a project doesn't happen without taxpayer subsidies doesn't mean it's an automatically unworthy project.

And, in any case, the subsidies already occurred. The important thing now is to finally open the complex and get the economic boost.

Do you really think though that tourists will depart Manhattan in order to shop at a New Jersey mall? Consider that Hudson Yards - in close proximity to Penn - will soon offer a wide variety of retail and dining options - among other attractions. Why leave the city when everything one needs and wants is within walking distance? Unless there's a sporting event, I don't see tourists gravitating to the Meadowlands solely for a shopping or dining experience.

They already do.

Been to Jersey Gardens lately? How about Garden State Plaza? Mall at Short Hills? These places are crawling with foreign tourists, who come by bus, car service or Uber to nearby malls. They even go to Woodbury Common, which must be at least 40 miles from Manhattan.

There are so many foreign tourists at Jersey Gardens, I don't think that mall would even exist without the Manhattan tourist market in proximity. It seems almost purposely designed to attract the Brazillian and British and Chinese shoppers.

Granted, I don't exactly get it. Who wants to visit a foreign country and then waste time at a mall, just to save a few bucks? But, trust me, people do it. My wife does it, my in-laws do it.
Because 1. Hudson Yards will be a luxury mall, not a suburban megacenter, 2. NJ is cheaper with lower sales tax and 3. American Dream will be primary non-mall uses, and such uses won't exist in Hudson Yards.

It isn't competing with Hudson Yards, at all, which will attract Manhattanites and some higher end tourists. American Dream will be more for families with kids and the tour bus crowd. The Cheesecake Factory/Dave and Busters crowd isn't going to be attracted to the chef-driven restaurants and luxury boutiques at Hudson Yards.

Here are some of the uses at American Dream:

Indoor ice rink (NHL-sized).
Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park.
DreamWorks-themed Water Park – A year-round indoor water park.
Movie theater – 26 screen movie theater with outdoor lounge overlooking Manhattan.
Concert hall – 2,400–3,000 seat performing arts and concert venue.
Indoor ski slope.
Miniature golf course
Lucky Strike bowling alley.
Legoland Discovery Center.
Sea Life aquarium.
There are hordes of foreign tourists in these suburban malls already. I have no doubt they will gravitate to a closer-in mall, with direct rail to Manhattan, with attractions not available in any other shopping center in the Americas.

Interesting - I haven't been a NJ resident for years and therefore haven't recently patronized any of the malls, so I'll take your word for it. I find it intriguing though that tourists would pay to commute in and out of Manhattan in order to shop at a suburban mall in NJ or LI or wherever.

I hadn't realized they plan on cramming all of those attractions under one roof. Do you know if the new concert hall will mean the demolition of the IZOD Center?

http://thedoctorsdigest.com/wp-conte...n-laughing.png

Work on Meadowlands mall has stalled and developer won't answer questions
http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2...epage-featured


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...353ac208b6.jpg

http://youngjournalistacademy.com/wp...ng-old-guy.jpg

The developers haven't even had the bond offering yet, so it isn't clear why they would expect construction at this time.

And construction hasn't been stalled since December. It hasn't moved since summer, and was never expected to restart until after the bond offering (which can't even occur until there's a public vote on the offering).

Pic by me. Taken today.

https://cdn-standard.discourse.org/u...e3c28119a3.jpg

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/02/news...lls/index.html

Malls are doomed: 25% will be gone in 5 years

Excellent time for a venture capital fund to pick up these failing malls and re purpose them into mixed-use residential developments, office parks, industrial parks, etc...

great pic of cranes
the maps are new on wiki/google
you can see those same cranes

The bond offering was completed, and this project is now fully financed, BTW. 75% leased.

A little off topic, Amazon is now worth close to $500 billion and internet sales continue to take a bigger bite at bricks and mortar stores. I wonder how the retailers at the WTC Hub are doing? The only one I see doing any real business is the Apple store. IF American Dream is built, how would this impact other area malls since forecasts are calling for at least 20 percent to be out of business within the next 5 years.

American Dream is mostly non-retail uses, so probably should have limited impact on other nearby malls. It's more of an entertainment complex, with amusement parks, ski hills, ferris wheel, water park, etc. It's competition is more Great Adventure, HersheyPark and the like.

The NY area is underretailed compared to the rest of the country and never had the massive explosion of suburban retail in the 80's and 90's. I'm sure places like Garden State Plaza and Mall at Short Hills will be fine. If they aren't fine, then that's OK too, that's capitalism.

any info-news about Miami Mall/Park?
anybody know how to post wiki map screen shots?