With the holiday season just around the corner, shoppers can rejoice over new progress on the long-awaited American Dream Meadowlands mall – dubbed "the most expensive retail project on Earth" – set to become a destination in North Jersey for years to come.
First conceived in 2003, the project, formerly known as Meadowlands Xanadu, has had a fitful history. Its first two developers were impeded by everything from the 2008 financial crisis to severe winter weather and lawsuits from the New York Giants and New York Jets.
In June of this year, however, following two years of wrangling, renowned developer Triple Five Group took official ownership of the mall, promising a monumental combination of shopping, entertainment, recreation, and dining.
Triple Five Group, best known for Minnesota's Mall of America and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, is planning a 91-acre complex spread across five connected sections spanning more than a half mile, according to Patch. Don Ghermezian, a principal with the Triple Five Group, told The New York Times that $5 billion in investments will have been made by the time the facility opens in 2018.
Interior image of planned American Dream Meadowlands mall. (Contributed Art/Triple Five)
So what can visitors expect from the American Dream Meadowlands? In collaboration with Dreamworks SKG, the complex will hold the largest indoor amusement park and the largest indoor water park in the United States, including an 800-foot-long hill for skiing, snowboarding and tubing and a 300-foot-high Ferris wheel offering a panoramic view of Manhattan.
A Cinemex dine-in theater will seat 1,400 people and offer a "scented experience" using X4D technology, which simulates environmental effects from films.
Kids may stand to benefit the most from the project, which will bring in a LEGOLAND Discovery Center with a 4-D cinema, a three-level Toys "R" Us and New Jersey's first Sea Life Aquarium (an underwater tunnel will give kids a close-up look at sharks and other exotic species).
Given the growing popularity of eCommerce, some may view the project as a major gamble, but the American Dream developers regard it as an all-encompassing destination that will bring about 20,000 jobs to the region, promote surrounding economic development and attract tourists from New York City.
Confirmed retailers for the site – 400 will be there in total – are as follows:
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Lord & Taylor
• Off 5th
• Hermes
• Aritzia
• Banana Republic
• Gap
• Lululemon
• MAC
• Microsoft
• Pink
• Uniqlo
• Victoria’s Secret
• Zara
Significant logistical details remain to be worked out, but NJ Transit is reportedly working on arrangements for commuter shuttle arrangements, including bus and rail service.
Learn more about American Dream Meadowlands at the project's website.