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C.	Jun 6, 2017 7:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford (Post 7826192)

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.

Thanks Crawford, I could not agree more. I'm personally skeptical American Dream will be a success, but as you said, capitalism will determine the outcome here.

C.	Jun 6, 2017 10:27 PM

A little off topic, but the World Trade Center Transit Hub Mall seemed like they were really targeting the wrong market. This article today is timely. IF built, I think American Dream will do a much better job than the WTC mall since they are not ignorant of their market, but I still think it's a tough environment for retail in general. The entertainment options may be the only saving grace, IF built.

https://therealdeal.com/2017/06/06/e...grand-opening/

Quote:

any storefronts are covered over with wrappers directing shoppers out of the underground portion of the mall and up to the Eataly market on the third floor of Silverstein Properties’ 4 World Trade Center. And as Westfield works alongside Silverstein on the second, 75,000-square-foot Phase 2 in the base of 3 World Trade Center – expected to be completed in 2018 or 2019 – the Australian-based mall REIT is rushing to get delayed stores open and is trying to correct the perception of the project as a transit hub and a retail afterthought.

Ugh! That's because it IS a transit hub.

C.	Jun 6, 2017 10:37 PM

eleven=11

Jul 2, 2017 8:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford (Post 7824817)

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

Any news or stuff check out the wiki/maps/google/map
the cranes are busy doing stuff?

chris08876

Jul 2, 2017 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eleven=11 (Post 7852445)

Any news or stuff check out the wiki/maps/google/map
the cranes are busy doing stuff?

I drove by this on 6/27, and the cranes are still up. There is activity. You can also see a small Ferris wheel and an amusement park to the left of the skiing ramp. This complex is massive.

Barbarossa

Jul 2, 2017 12:04 PM

How on earth can they find a billion dollars for this thing but not for NJ Transit?

chris08876

Jul 2, 2017 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbarossa (Post 7852480)

How on earth can they find a billion dollars for this thing but not for NJ Transit?

Christie aka fat POS has really limited our transit expansion. The sooner he goes away, the better.

Cuomo is at least a tad bit better, though somewhat part of the problem. A lot of transit issues stem from political or bureaucratic bs. Both on the NJ and NY side. But Christie is the worse. I wish nothing but bad luck for him. He is what is wrong with politicians. A fraud, and a traitor to NJ. HE HAD a chance when elected to get things right, but went the route of a typical GOP politician. Hence my dislike of him.

NJ is in the class of superior and elite states, and thus, it requires superior politicians who care about the state to run it. The idea that our transit is lacking because of bureaucratic nonsense should not be the case.

mrnyc

Jul 6, 2017 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eleven=11 (Post 7852445)

Any news or stuff check out the wiki/maps/google/map
the cranes are busy doing stuff?

here ya go:

http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/...pskhkz8t0p.png

Crawford

Jul 7, 2017 6:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbarossa (Post 7852480)

How on earth can they find a billion dollars for this thing but not for NJ Transit?

Chris Christie, the worst, least popular governor in America.

He rejected $6 billion in federal funding for a new Hudson rail tunnel (because he was running for President and wanted to show his conservative, anti-rail 'credentials" to middle America) and put billions into subsidizing casinos (who subsidizes casinos?!), including one that was only open for six months and now sits abandoned.

Christie is basically Trump, but a Governor. A loud-mouthed, incompetent liar who makes incredibly horrible, uninformed policy decisions. His rejection of the Hudson rail tunnel basically set back NJ 20 years, and cost the state massive wealth.

I mean, when your state sits directly across the river from the largest, highest paying central business district on the planet, ya think it's a good idea to ensure residents can actually access these jobs? One would think...

chris08876

Jul 8, 2017 2:21 AM

^^^^

Its a sacrilege. But good and bad news. The bad news is that the costs have skyrocketed, but the good news is that the tunnel project is gaining momentum in actually happening and the day Christie leaves is approaching. Sadly, the federal funding will probally not cover the 11-13+ billion dollar cost. It will need to be much more than 6 billion.

eleven=11

Jul 8, 2017 5:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876 (Post 7800110)

Pic by me. Taken today.

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

HELLO chris08876 nice stuff
so the cranes in the satellite photo are the SAME as your photo
cranes not working???

chris08876

Jul 8, 2017 1:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eleven=11 (Post 7858632)

HELLO chris08876 nice stuff
so the cranes in the satellite photo are the SAME as your photo
cranes not working???

The map update was in 2017 (google satellite aerials), so yes. Cranes are really visible from the Turnpike. You'd almost think this mega mall is complete. Looks complete in person at least from the outside. I'd imagine a bulk of the work is going on in the interior along with finishing up the parking lots.

chris08876

Jul 10, 2017 11:31 PM

Pic by me. Taken today, 7/10/17 of the American Dream complex (mall)

From observation, looks like work is occurring on the parking decks. Call this update a hit-and-run photo.

https://cdn-business2.discourse.org/...686c0564b5.jpg

BBMW	Jul 11, 2017 5:18 AM

So they keep building a giant new mall, as the business model behind malls implodes.

chris08876

Jul 29, 2017 12:12 AM

The mall's future rises in the Meadowlands: It's about entertainment

Quote:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — With a quarter of malls in the United States predicted to close within five years, Canadian developer Triple Five Group is building a giant anti-mall in North Jersey, just outside Manhattan.

The much-delayed $5 billion complex, modestly called American Dream, will resemble something straight out of a Walt Disney movie: a jumbo-sized hybrid between a shopping center and amusement park that some see as a model for what top malls are becoming.

“The future of malls is that they will have to offer shopping experiences you can’t get anywhere else in the form of food and beverage, unique entertainment opportunities, and exclusive stores,” said JLL’s James Cook, director of retail research for the Americas. “You certainly need something” unique.

American Dream meets all the criteria, even if it’s on its third builder and has endured multiple setbacks over more than a decade.

“It will have less retail space than [the nation’s largest] Mall of America and 60 percent more in entertainment offerings,” said Debbie Patire, Triple Five’s senior vice president of marketing. “But it really isn’t about size these days. It is about the customer experience and having the right mix of components, flagship and new-to-market retail, combined with best-in-class entertainment, attractions, and restaurants.”

Phase 1 of American Dream was expected to open next summer. Now set for March 2019, it is rising beside MetLife Stadium, where the National Football League’s Giants and Jets play. It will encompass three million square feet, with half devoted to 13 attractions, including a DreamWorks Waterpark featuring elements of “Shrek’s Soggy Swamp,” a Nickelodeon Universe theme park, and a 16-story Big Snow America Indoor Ski Hill.

Should that bore you, there also will be a 1,350-seat live-performance Cirque Du Soleil theater, a Sea Life Aquarium, a Legoland Discovery Center, an 18-hole miniature golf course, an indoor NHL-sized ice rink, an observation wheel resembling the giant London Eye Ferris wheel, and dine-in cinemas with Cinemex X4D, which provides rain, snow, and scents linked to on-screen action.

But wait – for shoppers, there’s Saks Fifth Avenue, Hermes, Microsoft, Lululemon, Old Navy, and Victoria’s Secret as well as fast fashion retailers H&M, Zara, and Primark, among 450 stores, specialty shops, and restaurants. Children’s activity retailer KidZania committed to take 80,000 square feet.

“It should become the preeminent tourist attraction, not just in New York, but in all of North America,” gushed Don Ghermezian, whose family controls Triple Five.

=========================
http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...-20170727.html

aquablue

Oct 3, 2017 2:20 AM

I think this mall is actually nice looking inside if those renders come to fruition. Not often do I say that about an American mall. Usually the nicest malls are in the newer areas of the world (Singapore and Dubai have the best malls and USA can't come close), but this mall is up there. I really hope that retail works out here too, because although people don't shop outside much anymore the future will be a duller place with no malls or street shopping (due to amazon and friends - shame on them).

chris08876

Feb 15, 2018 11:58 PM

Pic by me. Taken today.

They are doing a lot of work on the parking garages. They are huge. Given the nature of the shot, I couldn't aim for a panorama. This is what they call whip your phone, while looking straight, and hope you capture something.

https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/busin...bc52defc48.jpg

chris08876

May 9, 2018 10:28 PM

I drove by this today on the turnpike. A lot of activity. More cranes than usual, and a lot of workers. Took a shot while in transit, but its something at least. Will upload it soon.

chris08876

May 9, 2018 10:38 PM

Pics by me. Taken today of the Meadowlands mall u/c in NJ. (American Dream)

https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/busin...207a00ebd3.jpg

https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/busin...d14358da1a.jpg

deepen915

May 12, 2018 3:09 AM

March 2019 opening!

https://www.northjersey.com/story/ne...019/577026002/

chris08876

May 31, 2018 10:12 PM

Pics by me. Taken today.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1749/...a625de7d_b.jpg
unnamed by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1723/...cc25f86c_b.jpg
unnamed by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

NYguy

Aug 24, 2018 2:10 AM

https://www.6sqft.com/see-the-800-fo...-north-jersey/

See the 800-foot indoor ski slope, water park, and observation wheel coming to North Jersey

AUGUST 23, 2018
BY DANA SCHULZ

Quote:

Earlier this week, we got a sneak peek at the massive food hall coming to the American Dream mega-mall next to Met Life Stadium. The $3 billion, 4.5 million-square-foot shopping mall, which has been 16 years in the making, will also boast the largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere, an NHL-sized ice rink, a 4-D movie theater, a LEGOLAND, an eight-acre Nickelodeon water park and theme park, and an Observation Wheel with 26 climate-controlled gondolas overlooking the NYC skyline from a height “nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty.” And we’ve now got a first look at what these other over-the-top amusements will look like.

KVNBKLYN

Aug 24, 2018 3:03 AM

These renderings sure don't instill a lot of confidence in this project. They look like something you put together to generate early buzz before you've lined up investors or even hired an architect, not the renderings of a project that should be finished in less than a year.

And that rendering of the indoor water park has a caption on it saying it's for their other pie-in-the-sky mall idea in Miami, not the Meadowlands.

Oh, and it's also just a photo of the water park at the West Edmonton Mall with the color of the slides taken out and a palm tree pasted onto it. Cheap photoshop tricks, not a design.

https://imgs.6sqft.com/wp-content/up...ter-park-1.jpg

West Edmonton Mall waterpark:
https://www.whitewaterwest.com/drive...-AB-Canada.jpg

Why anyone thinks this is a legitimate project is beyond me. If any part of it ever opens, it'll surely struggle financially, seek a government bailout, and ultimately fail, like most everything else in the Meadowlands.

NYguy

Aug 24, 2018 3:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KVNBKLYN (Post 8291936)

Why anyone thinks this is a legitimate project is beyond me. If any part of it ever opens, it'll surely struggle financially, seek a government bailout, and ultimately fail, like most everything else in the Meadowlands.

It's legit. But you probably won't be sold until it opens. Understandable given the delays, but that's all in the past.

https://www.northjersey.com/picture-...on/1074635002/

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/ec7...t=510&fit=crop

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...unds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/ec7...=1440&fit=crop

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/1ce...=1440&fit=crop

https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewo...s-opening-date

American Dream Meadowlands Sets Opening Date
The $3 billion entertainment and retail destination is expected to draw between 30 and 40 million visitors in its first year.

https://cdn20.patchcdn.com/users/127...11576-7585.jpg

By Daniel Hubbard
Aug 17, 2018

Quote:

The mall will be 55 percent entertainment space and 45 percent retail.

Nickelodeon Universe theme park and water park will be indoors. The theme park will span 8.5 acres and feature attractions and rides based on Nickelodeon characters. It will have two record-setting rollercoasters — the Spinning Coaster, the tallest and longest free-spinning coaster in the world, and the Euro-Fighter. It is expected to be the largest indoor theme park in the western hemisphere when it is complete.

When asked about if and how sports gambling works into Triple Five's plan for American Dream, the spokesperson said that "a comprehensive master plan is very much a part of the strategic future success of the site itself and also for smart regional growth of the broader area."

There will be a huge LEGOLAND Discovery Center with a 4-D cinema, LEGO brick pool, rides, and classes for kids will be there. There will also be the first Sea Life aquarium in New Jersey. It will feature a tropical ocean tank with a walk-through underwater tunnel. An indoor waterpark and an amusement park are also being built.

The largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere will allow customers to take ski and snowboarding lessons all year. There will also be an ice-climbing wall and an an NHL-size hockey rink.

Quote:

American Dream was originally slated to open in 2017. Then last summer Triple Five pushed back the completion date because it had difficulty securing the $1.1 billion in financing. It worked with Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan to secure $1.6 billion in financing earlier this year.

Crawford

Aug 24, 2018 3:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KVNBKLYN (Post 8291936)

Why anyone thinks this is a legitimate project is beyond me.

Um, the project is almost completed. They've poured over $4 billion into it, and it's wrapping up.

I would bet good money that this will be a financial success. It's a 15 minute direct train ride from Penn, at the confluence of the two most important highways in the Northeast, 5 minutes from a major international airport, fantastic demographics, they've basically signed every luxury store chain on earth and are completing essentially the world's largest indoor amusement park.

And your logic for skepticism is based on your dislike of a website rendering. Bizarre.

KVNBKLYN

Aug 24, 2018 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford (Post 8291979)

There are no direct trains from Penn Station, you have to transfer at Secaucus. And the Meadowlands rail station isn't in walking distance to the mall anyway - they plan to run a shuttle bus to the station. So, only a three-seat ride to Manhattan!

And of that $4 billion "they" have poured into it, about $1.15 billion is in the form of tax exempt government bonds provided by the state of New Jersey.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/ne...oms/395607001/

I'm fully aware it's under construction. I still doubt it will ever fully open or if it does, it won't last long or will require even more government subsidies.

LouisVanDerWright

Aug 24, 2018 2:42 PM

Wow, file this project under "things that would never happen if money wasn't literally free for a decade"...

jamesinclair

Aug 27, 2018 7:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KVNBKLYN (Post 8292154)

The last part isnt true at all. There is a direct walkway between the train station and the mall.

https://goo.gl/maps/juDSRrs2SuQ2

Also, most people will probably get there with a one-seat right on a bus from PANY

There is a lot of demand for recreation available from NYC.

Look at the prices the various indoor waterparks in PA are charging.

https://www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania

The only room available on September 8 (after school starts ) is $849 for one night.

And they just completed a massive expansion.

And you need a car to get there.

chris08876

Aug 27, 2018 8:14 PM

Pics by me. Taken this morning.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1878/...65f4c983_k.jpg
Xanadu 1 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1842/...4f953a52_k.jpg
Xanadu 2 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

RobEss

Aug 27, 2018 10:11 PM

That '30 to 40 million visitors' number that shows up every now and again is absolute garbage.

Completely ignoring the fact that the figure varies by a factor of 25%, consider that the most visited theme park in the US, Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida, had an annual attendance total in 2017 of 20.5 million. Do they really see themselves debuting at twice the yearly visitor count of Disney?

The closest mall of analogous size - the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania (which happens to be the largest mall in the US) - receives 22 million visitors annually.

jayden

Aug 28, 2018 4:23 PM

So when is it actually suppose to be completed?

chris08876

Sep 22, 2018 4:20 AM

Drove by this via turnpike this morning (Friday). Lots of activity and tons of work was occurring via workers on articulated boom lifts. Will be nice when this opens. It'll alleviate some of that traffic as a result of some roads being sealed near it.

chris08876

Sep 22, 2018 4:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayden (Post 8296472)

So when is it actually suppose to be completed?

I've heard late Q1 2019.

Much of the work I'd imagine is in the interior. The site is buzzin, and hasn't changed exterior wise much in the last month from my observations.

Hopefully it'll meet a time table of Q1 2019.

NYguy

Jan 28, 2019 6:58 PM

https://www.northjersey.com/story/ne...te/2598509002/

See inside American Dream: Progress continues as opening date approaches

Jan. 28, 2019

Quote:

American Dream, the entertainment and shopping extravaganza that North Jersey has anticipated for close to 17 years, is finally taking shape ahead of its projected spring opening.

Over the past months, as the pace of construction has moved faster, companies, including officials of American Dream,have turned to social media to share glimpses of their progress. Companies have also given updates of their own for industry insiders eager to keep up. Workers inside the construction site, too, have shared rare glimpses of the site on their social media pages.

Photos on Instagram, geo-tagged to American Dream’s location, showcase what appear to be the skeleton of a multi-level mall and videos of roller coasters twisting through the otherwise-empty complex. Other images show construction workers in hard hats walking through what appears to be the underbelly of some of the project's attractions, and sitting on ski lifts. The photos begin to piece together what the massive mall and its many features will soon look like.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsp-PS9gbVx/

https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram...NTM1NQ%3D%3D.2

chris08876

Feb 16, 2019 6:28 AM

16 Years Later, American Dream Mall Teases Opening Date

https://28nwgk2wx3p52fe6o9419sg5-wpe...2-1392x568.jpg

Quote:

Three developers and $5 billion later, American Dream Mall is prepping to open its doors.

The massive 3.1 million square foot shopping and entertainment complex in East Rutherford is finally nearing completion. In an interview with Commercial Observer, Dimitri Lalagos, the senior vice president for leasing at American Dream claims the project will open this April.

First conceived as Xanadu in 2003, the project stalled during the financial crisis after financing dried up following the Lehman Brothers collapse. Now, 16 years and three developers later, the long-time eyesore along the New Jersey Turnpike is hoping to turn its fate around.

It is facing some headwinds, though, as a lot has changed since the project was first conceptualized. In an era of failing malls and declining brick and mortar retail, whether or not such an ambitious project can succeed is yet to be seen.

It will certainly be interesting to watch how it does. With entertainment partners that include a “Dreamworks-branded indoor waterpark, a Cirque du Soleil venue and a National Hockey League-sized ice rink”. A Munchies food hall by Vice Media is also planned.

Fulop believes the April opening date is just another stunt.

“We’ve been told this story a gazillion times, I gloss over these dates on when they’re projected to open,” Fulop told Commercial Observer.

April or not, work continues on the project which means we’re getting closer to an actual opening.

=============
Jersey Digs

NYguy

Apr 1, 2019 10:47 PM

• Video Link

rgarri4

Apr 2, 2019 12:08 AM

I cant wait to shop at Dier! lol. Besides the cheesy renderings I'm super curious to see how this turns out.
I thought America was kinda finished with the idea of large mega malls. Only still popular in Dubai where you never ever go outside unless you're in a car or at the beach.

cjreisen

Apr 2, 2019 10:16 AM

I will say the mall I am not a HUGE fan of, but the experience centers, the waterpark and amusement park I am a HUGE fan of. Because I think the NY area lacks any large water park, especially indoors, so that will be a huge attraction in the winter. The area needs more family centric things to do, so I think it will be a hit. Also I can tell you why this will work! Try to catch the buses from Port Authority to New Jersey, and it is always flooded with people going to malls in Jersey, lots of foreigners looking for cheap stuff. So this will be like that on steroids! It will be a huge draw, especially on game day. I generally despise malls and the philosophy of them. But one big mall in the NY area, I think is good.

photoLith

Apr 2, 2019 1:01 PM

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

cjreisen

Apr 2, 2019 7:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8527050)

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

This is pretty much useless marsh anyway, not even attractive from an environmental perspective.. I think any discussion of land consumption for surface parking lots is missing any point. If this was in downtown newark, I would agree

Crawford

Apr 2, 2019 8:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8527050)

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

I don't think this project has any surface parking.

It's primarily an entertainment complex, not a retail center. Think indoor amusement park moreso than mall.

C.	Apr 2, 2019 9:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjreisen (Post 8527006)

Also I can tell you why this will work! Try to catch the buses from Port Authority to New Jersey, and it is always flooded with people going to malls in Jersey, lots of foreigners looking for cheap stuff. So this will be like that on steroids!

This is true, but I could never figure out why. I mean, imagine vacationing in the greatest city in the world, only to hop on a bus out of the dingy Port Authority to a suburban NJ mall to buy crap you could have gotten online for less. If people can afford vacationing in NYC, can't they also afford New York retail prices and get the real experience instead of a cheap suburban wannabe.

Weird.

I'm very interested to see how much demand this place actually gets. My opinion is it's too out of the way with poor transit accessibility, but I could very well be wrong. Time will tell.

NYguy

Apr 3, 2019 12:17 AM

I don't understand why people think only tourist will visit. It's in a giant metropolis of over 20 million people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgarri4 (Post 8526661)

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8527050)

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjreisen (Post 8527636)

As with anything else people don't like, the good news is that you won't be forced to visit. I'm sure there will be more than enough people to make up for it though. Even the JETS and the GIANTS tried to block this thing because they know the crowds it will bring.

Anyway, a review of sorts...

• Video Link

• Video Link

Meanwhile, it may not be Dubai, but Miami had it's own American Dream proposal...

https://miami.curbed.com/2018/6/21/1...all-theme-park

American Dream, the country’s largest shopping mall, is coming to Miami

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/121l...am_miami.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kt2I...dream_mall.jpg

chris08876

Apr 10, 2019 11:19 PM

This should open up late summer or fall of 2019. Was delayed by Triple Five Group.

chris08876

Jul 7, 2019 12:56 AM

American Dream Announces Coca-Cola Partnership, Will Include a Themed ‘Dining Destination’

https://28nwgk2wx3p52fe6o9419sg5-wpe...therford-1.jpg

Quote:

For nearly a generation, American Dream Meadowlands has been in the works off of Route 3 and the New Jersey Turnpike in East Rutherford. The massive mall and entertainment venue, previously known as Xanadu Meadowlands, has had countless projected opening dates, with the Triple Five Group first suggesting over the last year that the facility would open in the spring, followed by an announcement that a summer opening was planned. Now, new information has been released by the developers about the plans for the complex, including a new time when construction could be completed.

In a prepared statement issued last week, an American Dream spokesperson wrote that the mall is on track to open this fall. The announcement also revealed a partnership with Coca-Cola and Philadelphia-based Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages that will lead to multiple Coke-themed attractions and events at American Dream.

The amenities will include green rooms for special events, a restaurant with 800 seats called “Coca-Cola Eats” that will “offer a wide array of local and global cuisines served alongside the variety of beverage options from The Coca-Cola Company,” and a social media space and podcast studio known as “The Social Bubble.” A large Coca-Cola sign is also expected to be installed on the facade of the building.

Northern New Jersey already has no shortage of malls, ranging from the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus to Newport Centre in Jersey City. However, since the plans for American Dream’s predecessor were announced well over a decade ago, the complex has been touted as more of a Mall of America-like destination than a traditional shopping center.

The three-million-square-foot project is slated to include over 450 stores and restaurants, ranging from the Grisini Food Hall and a Dons Bogam restaurant to a Saks Fifth Avenue store. In addition, there are plans for a Legoland Discovery Center location, a DreamWorks Water Park, an aquarium, a Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, a large indoor ski center, and a performing arts center.

A specific date for the grand opening of American Dream has yet to be announced.

=================
https://jerseydigs.com/american-drea...a-partnership/

chris08876

Sep 4, 2019 10:12 PM

New Jersey’s Dream mall: 40M people and a traffic nightmare

Quote:

After 16 years of false starts, the behemoth American Dream retail and amusement complex is set to open just west of Manhattan. To get there, an expected 40 million visitors must join the traffic-choked roads of northern New Jersey.

The project’s owner, Triple Five Group, expects crowds to rival those at its Mall of America, where express buses, free shuttles and Minnesota’s most-traveled light-rail route carry people to the busiest U.S. shopping destination. Unlike Minnesota, New Jersey has no plans to link the site by rail from its major airport. In fact, it has no plans for any new train service, only additional bus routes with extended hours and stops.

American Dream was built in New Jersey’s Meadowlands, where some of the nation’s most congested highways crisscross swamps, former landfills and commuter towns. In and around neighboring MetLife Stadium, home to the busiest National Football League playing schedule and a favorite concert stop for the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce, stand-still traffic and transit muck-ups are routine.

“At peak hours, I can see traffic being backed all the way up to the Lincoln Tunnel,” Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli, whose town hall is 6 miles from Times Square, predicted for American Dream. “I don’t know how extra buses are going to be enough for 40 million people.”

The East Rutherford complex’s 3 million square feet (279,000 square meters) are 45% retail and 55% entertainment, including what Triple Five calls the Western Hemisphere’s biggest indoor theme park, North America’s only indoor snow skiing and a DreamWorks water park. Among the tenants are Saks Fifth Avenue, Hermes, Century 21, a kosher food market and a 20-restaurant dining terrace.

While the opening coincides with a dire retail outlook -- fewer than half of U.S. malls are expected to survive ongoing store closings, according to Bloomberg Intelligence -- American Dream says it can beat the odds because of its attractions mix and accessibility to New York City, on pace to draw 67 million tourists this year.

Proposed in 2003 as a mega-mall called Xanadu, the project’s ownership changes and financial hard times left it unfinished. Its indoor ski slope became a forlorn landmark for New Jersey Turnpike motorists; its garish multicolor exterior in 2011 was called “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and possibly America” by then-Governor Chris Christie.

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https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-e...ffic-nightmare

chris08876

Oct 20, 2019 6:26 PM

Via cams for American Dream.

https://aws1.discourse-cdn.com/busin...8f79e14c8.jpeg

C.	Oct 20, 2019 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876 (Post 8677891)

New Jersey’s Dream mall: 40M people and a traffic nightmare

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https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-e...ffic-nightmare

:yeahthat

New Yorkers don't like coming to New Jersey. It will be very interesting to see if the mall formerly known as Xanadu can pull it off. A few of the other things I'll be watching for include:

If there is any kind of cannibalization of existing retail/entertainment venues.
Will American Dream survive the Retailapocalypse.
What will be the impacts to traffic in the area. And will traffic be so bad that it discourages area residents from attending.
What will be the breakdown of patronage between New Jersey residents, NYC residents, and visitors to NYC.
Will it attract the foot traffic or sales per sqft that's necessary for this to be deemed a profitable success?

The entertainment component is the wildcard for me. If it was purely retail, I would have bet good money that the total project would be a failure. The entertainment facilities might be the trick to attract enough people to the site. Transportation to the site is going to be the biggest challenge, especially for those without cars, IMO.

C.	Oct 20, 2019 11:48 PM

Quote:

American Dream opens Friday. We still don’t know the hours of the mall, or if parking is free.
By Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The waiting is killing us and the not knowing is even harder. We get it that a project of this size and scope -- 3 million square feet of prime real estate that’s expecting 40 million visitors a year -- is complicated. But the lack of information, now that the initial opening is days away, is frustrating.

Here’s what we’re dying to know most:

Will we have to pay to park?
If you read comments on social media, you'll see people who claim they know people who work there who swear you'll have pay $25 to park at American Dream.

Others just as adamantly argue they can’t possibly charge for parking to remain competitive with other malls in the area.

A spokesperson for American Dream has declined to answer this question.

What are the hours for the mall?
We know it’s open seven days a week, despite Bergen County’s Blue Laws, which limit Sunday shopping. But we don’t know when American Dream opens and closes each day.

The Nickelodeon Universe indoor amusement park pricing was published on American Dream’s website and it looks like the park is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 12 a.m.

But a spokesperson for American Dream declined to share hours for the entire complex.

How much does ice skating cost?
No pricing information has been released about the NHL regulation-sized ice skating rink that will open next Friday.

We don’t know if there are skate rentals at the 19,000 square foot rink or if you have to bring your own (or can bring your own) skates.

What is there to eat (and drink)?
Can we bring in our own food? What types of concessions or restaurants will open when American Dream debuts next week -- and until the entire thing is open in March 2020?

We’ve heard about more than 100 dining options, including food halls, celebrity chef-run menus, fast food and two dozen sit-down eateries. But all that roller coaster riding and ice skating are going to make us hungry for more than candy (though, there will be plenty of that. Giant candy retailer IT’SUGAR has said it will be open on Oct. 25, too).

The full article can be read here: https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/10/am...questions.html

Crawford

Oct 21, 2019 12:29 AM

There's no way they don't charge for parking. Most of the more urban in-town malls in the region now charge for parking. (WP Galleria, The Westchester, Ridge Hill, Stamford Town Center, SoNo Collection).

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