HOUSTON | Earth Quest Adventures

[Urbannizer]

I guess i'll make a thread here.

Dinosaur Theme Park For Houston

Developer: n/a
Architect: n/a
Website: http://www.houstondinopark.com/ (unofficial website)
Status: Approved, site cleared construction to start late 09 or early 2010

The plans for the much anticipated Earth Quest Adventures, slated to be constructed in East Montgomery County, are closer to reality with the fast-approaching ground breaking scheduled for the fall.

East Montgomery County Improvement District President and CEO Frank McCrady discussed the plans for the dinosaur-themed park and museum with the Kingwood Realtor Advisory Board Feb. 12.

“We have had board meetings and developer meetings; in two weeks the EMCID board will be issuing bonds on the project,” McCrady said. “The Houston market is ready, willing and able to accept a thematic theme park and destination place to go in regards to any type of recreational activity.”

The Earth Quest Adventures project will be located north of Kingwood, at Roman Forest Boulevard and U.S. Highway 59.

The design process for some of the rides and areas of the park are still in the design process but for the most part, the schematics for Earth Quest are complete.

“The project is moving forward and we are expected to break ground on Earth Quest either the end of this fiscal year or the first quarter of 2010,” McCrady said.

The park is scheduled to open for the public in 2011 or 2012.

The dinosaur theme park will be situated toward the rear of the park and will feature several roller coasters that will go in and around the mountains constructed as a part of the theme.

There will be a temperate side of the mountain which will simulate a rain-forest like atmosphere, another side will showcase volcano-like activity and yet another side will feature a snowy climate.

“There are different components for each side and a centerpiece connecting all the different parts, which is like the center of the park,” McCrady said.

The actual park itself is around 200 acres and several hotels are already slated to be built around the park including a hotel featuring rooms situated in the tree tops that offer a view of the park.

Additionally, McCrady discussed the development of Valley Ranch where there is current retail development that will further enhance the theme of the community, a lifestyle center.

The retail centers in Valley Ranch will feature an outdoor shopping experience and offer shoppers outdoor places where they can relax and interact with friends and fellow shoppers.

Kyle Bauer, owner of QLS Family Fitness Health Complex, also addressed the luncheon, explaining the recent additions and expansion of their facility and the center’s dedication to the community

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/......ost&id=1150

Renderings:




More to come soon

[Urbannizer]

Additional info:

PLANS FOR A NEW 500-ACRE ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PROJECT, WHICH HAS BEEN MISCHARACTERIZED AS A “DINOSAUR PARK” IN SOME NEWS STORIES, are taking shape in New Caney, Texas, about 40 minutes from downtown Houston.

To be called EarthQuest, the development include a for-profit entertainment park complete with rides and other attractions, and a nonprofit educational institute, according to Don Lessem, creator and founder of the park. “It’s a $500 million project with about 50 different rides, including several ‘E-ticket’ rides,” he said, “like going inside a volcano, going through an actual ice cave, launch rides, coasters, and technologies that haven’t been used before.”

The park will be divided into sections— one devoted to sky, one to water, one to land, and one to prehistory, which will be called Pangaea. There will also be a waterpark and an animal park featuring creatures from Africa, South America, and Texas.

At the center of the park, said Lessem, will be the EarthQuest Institute, a $100 million research and educational center comprising 58 acres. “It’s a very interactive environmental presentation,” said Lessum, “and a lot of that is about how we change the way we live. It’s going to have 4-D theaters, reconstructed environments from the past, and lots of very enterprising interactive presentations of new research.”

Lessem said the reason the park has been mischaracterized is because of his reputation for creating traveling and permanent exhibitions featuring dinosaurs, his work as an adviser on the original “Jurassic Park” movie and theme park ride, and his creation of the two largest charities for dinosaur research, all of which have earned him the nickname “Dino” Don.

Lessem noted that Marlin Atlantis is the company behind EarthQuest, and its principal, John Marlin, is a developer who owns the project’s land. Contour Entertainment of Van Nuys, California, has been brought on board to design the project, and Lessum said they’ve already chosen the suppliers they’ll be using for the project. The institute is slated to open in the fall of 2011 and the park in the spring of 2012. Anticipated attendance for the entire project is 3 million annually.

http://www.iaapa.org/industry/funwor...ustryNotes.asp

[Urbannizer]

...The museum will have wind turbines on the roof and will generate its own electricity. Total development is estimated to be $1.5 billion. County officials report that the complex (not including the retail) is expecting between 2-2.5 million annual visitors, with an average stay of two days.

Phase 1 of the project is scheduled to include the theme park and two hotels— a 400-room boutique, Great Wolf style property and a 350 room property, also themed. A 2012 grand opening is expected.

http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/pdfs/...esAnalysis.pdf page 6

[WilliamTheArtist]

Wow, sounds like it could be really neat. Will have to go once its done.

[Thymant]

Are those actual rendering for this theme park or are they just concepts?

[ardecila]

Where is the money coming from?

Especially in this economy that has seen attendance at "destination" theme parks drop sharply as middle-class consumers cut back sharply, Earth Quest seems like a poor investment.

That said, if it does actually go forward, count me in as one of the first people there. This looks super-cool, and it has the potential to turn Houston into a major tourist destination.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by Thymant

Are those actual rendering for this theme park or are they just concepts?

Yes

Originally Posted by ardecila

Where is the money coming from?

Especially in this economy that has seen attendance at "destination" theme parks drop sharply as middle-class consumers cut back sharply, Earth Quest seems like a poor investment.

That said, if it does actually go forward, count me in as one of the first people there. This looks super-cool, and it has the potential to turn Houston into a major tourist destination.

I don't know but financing is already in place.

____________________________________


More renderings here, click on 'In the Works' then 'EarthQuest'.

http://www.contourentertainment.com/

[Urbannizer]

New renderings

[Urbannizer]

Earth Quest Adventures | Website

[Urbannizer]

More renderings ; updated website.

http://www.earthquestadventures.com/
Pangea


Life


Resort Hotel


EarthWalk

[photoLith]

Great, now even more reason for there to be shit tons of unneeded urban sprawl in north Houston. I really hope this project doesnt go forward. The area where this is going in was at one time the largest expanse of forest left in the Houston area. Around 10,000 acres, it was called the little thicket. All of it will soon be gone, what a shame. This is also a good 45 min from downtown, so all it will do will just push blah sprawl out even further than it needs to be.

[SouthmoreAve]

^ I agree. The north side is among some of the actual aesthetically pleasing areas of Houston. I wish the location would be somewhere, say in the southern part of Greater Houston. But the location does actually help the themes of the park, and goes with it. Hopefully, not too many parking lots will be built for this park. But, I'm guessing sprawl will be built around this park, new hotels, homes, services, etc.

At the same time, Houston NEEDS a theme park. We already send out way too much people to San Antonio, and to a lesser extent, DFW. This way we're keeping those tourist dollars in Houston, and not spending it in other metros. Plus, this will be all the more reason for someone to visit Houston, or to at least have this park as an option to visit while here. Nearly 6 million people in this region, and no theme park.

I wish it weren't so in this location, but it is, and I think it will ultimately be a good thing, just at the expense of the trees and forests.

[mfastx]

There has to be a better site for this project. How about something more central? Like 288 just south of 610, it's very close to the Astroworld site, and it's nothing but open fields. There's a development gap there, we need to fill that out before continuing sprawl northward.

This location was probably chosen because it is so close to George Bush airport.

[Aleks]

well, at least its an imaginative and different themepark thank most of the ones out there.

i like the theme park. as for the location, i cant really comment.

[photoLith]

I found out what parcel of land this monstrosity is going on. Its about 32 freakin miles from downtown, just ridiculous, oh well.

Heres where it will be, right by the sprawly Roman Forest development, just north of the former Lake Houston State Park. I grew up in Kingwood pretty much, so its not very far at all from there, but just think, someone from south houston, it would take them at least an hour if not more to get there. If you lived in Katy, it would take about an hour and a half to get there. There is so much land available right by the old Six Flags, I dont know why they didnt put it there.


The green is Lake Houston Park, the red is where this park is going. A lot of that forested land has been plowed over since this image was taken. That big green spit of land between the San Jacinto River and Spring Creek will most likely all be gone in 5-10 years. This land was at one point going to be included in the Big Thicket National Preserve.

[Trae]

Originally Posted by mfastx

There has to be a better site for this project. How about something more central? Like 288 just south of 610, it's very close to the Astroworld site, and it's nothing but open fields. There's a development gap there, we need to fill that out before continuing sprawl northward.

This location was probably chosen because it is so close to George Bush airport.

That, and the Astroworld location is a terrible spot for a theme park. Most theme parks are built outside the city and in the suburbs. Why put a theme park in the middle of a city? Aren't you suppose to "escape" and "get away" from the city when you go to theme parks? I hated how at Astroworld, you could see the freeway from certain parts of the park. I'm glad they decided to put this out in New Caney. Didn't know it was between us and a Dallas suburb at the end though. Wonder which Dallas suburb New Caney beat out.

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Great, now even more reason for there to be shit tons of unneeded urban sprawl in north Houston. I really hope this project doesnt go forward. The area where this is going in was at one time the largest expanse of forest left in the Houston area. Around 10,000 acres, it was called the little thicket. All of it will soon be gone, what a shame. This is also a good 45 min from downtown, so all it will do will just push blah sprawl out even further than it needs to be.

Well, New Caney isn't even as far north as The Woodlands. If you draw a straight line, it's at the intersection of 45N and the Hardy Toll Road. It's just that 59N is not nearly as developed as 45N is. This park will change that. I'm glad they're putting it where it is. The park itself is going to be very eco-friendly and will help and teach about the environment. I doubt they clear cut the trees and they'll probably put up some nice buffers with the trees. Not to mention it helps with shading in the summer time. Why put this out in the fields of Pearland or rolling prairie in NW Harris County? So we can burn up when we try to go in the summer time? It takes a while for the trees to mature.

A lot of people are looking at it and getting upset about the supposed sprawl that is suppose to come. The sprawl was going to come eventually to Splendora/New Caney/Porter. These areas are closer into Downtown than The Woodlands or Conroe are. Just East Montgomery County was/is seen as the boondocks. This park will only change that and accelerate the growth here and make those three cities look like the new Atascocita. Not to mention 17K new jobs. That's the best thing about it. And creates another healthy section of the Houston area, making it easier for Houston to attract more companies, businesses, etc. I'm sure all of the energy companies trying to "Go Green" will help out with this park somehow.

[photoLith]

Heres a render from their website.




http://www.earthquestadventures.com/overview/location/

[J. Will]

Originally Posted by Trae

That, and the Astroworld location is a terrible spot for a theme park. Most theme parks are built outside the city and in the suburbs. Why put a theme park in the middle of a city? Aren't you suppose to "escape" and "get away" from the city when you go to theme parks?

And how is having it in a convenient place not as good? It's not like one goes to an amusement park for idyllic wilderness.

[Trae]

Each city is different. At least the one you posted is on an island. Kinda scenic with the trees and river. Astroworld was right next to a car dealership, across the freeway from a stadium, and behind it were just fields.

[philvia]

i thought texans didnt believe in dinosaurs