Secaucus residents hoping the American Dream project formerly known as Xanadu would die a slow death will be unhappy to hear that the project is not only progressing – it’s getting bigger.
Last week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection granted the developers of the project water quality permits for the site’s proposed water park. The permits come despite criticism from local environmental groups.
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission approved an environmental plan for expansion of the project last month. Still, the project is far from complete, with law suits and tax issues yet to be resolved.
In addition to the water park, the project will also feature nearly two million feet of retail space, an indoor ski park and a theme park based on Dreamworks Animation.
A full report of the recent developments can be found at the Hudson Reporter.
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Dream works, huge shopping center, ice rink, snow boarding, skydiving, etc… this will be great for our area. Look at the areas surrounding Disney or Universal(which owns dreamworks). The towns and cities make so much off the taxes from the filled hotels. We all know there are plenty of hotels in Secaucus. This will be a boon for the town.
Will be great for our area, Mozz King?
How so?
We’ll have another eyesore to look at
This is protected wetlands; a water park is okay?
Flooding potential! Uh, remember Hurricane Irene? Just wait until this thing is built!
Traffic, traffic traffic….until the novelty wears off — and then after that, nobody will visit either the water park OR American Nightmare. We’ll have a skeleton to look at and blight our view.
Drain on resources
Horrific environmental footprint
Drain on resources
Drains revenue from the other malls and amusement parks…until, that is, the novelty wears off. After that, it will be a graveyard.
And lots and lots of minimum wage jobs, mostly per diem jobs — this means no benefits! So the potential for “but this will bring jobs” is hot air and nothing BUT.
Still think this is a fantastic idea???
If you think American Nightmare and the waterpark is a great idea, quit your full time day job and go to work at the water park.
Then report back to us with how great it is to NOT be able to support yourself, or your dependents, because you are only a part time worker.(because tha’s what most service jobs ARE: part time…NO BENEFITS)
BTW, Mozz…this piece of junk is being built on state land — so who will get the lions share of the taxes, if there even ARE any, on this mess? Not East Rutherford…again, state land. Which means NO blue law.
I can name a few more plusses that will be a “boon to our town”
1- The noise llevel. I’m sure it’ll be off the charts. If you thought the noise from the Dragonfly was loud wait until this hot mess is opearating at full tilt
2-Why do we need an indoor amusement park? for what solid and valid reason?
3-The roads simply cannot withstand the traffic that will be generated. There’s no way to widen the highways and there is no way that there can be an outroad built from this mess.
4-what happens to local businesses that operate bars and eateries? There are plans for many many restarurants to open on the campus of American Nightmare… want to see our own restaurants and bars put out of business? it can happen.
5- Triple 5 is says 55 million visiors will be there yearly.. The figure breaks down to pver 150 thousand people a day.
Really? to a mall???
There aren’t even 150 thousand visitors in NYC daily!
http://www.americandream.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/T5-Meadowlands-International-release.pdf
You will get visiors for about a year — and then the novelty will wear off, as i said. after that, nobody will shop there.
6-Triple 5 can guarantee full consumerism in this mall??? HOW? We have an unemployment rate of over 9% — nearly 20% if you use the U6 number! Shopping and consuerism in malls and other stores is pretty near at a standstill. Remembver: without full employment you cannot have full consumerism.
This mall was a bad bad idea — and funded by public money — an even worse idea.
Itsjustme: Few fun facts for you.
1. The Dreamworks project is expected to be similar to Universal Studios in Florida. Universal studios opened June 7, 1990. In 2010 that park hosted an approximate 5.9 million guest ranking it 8th in the most visited theme parks in the US….Not bad 20years after opening…..Same things were being said about universal studios 20 plus years ago yet it has survived.
2. Millions of visitors will have to stay somewhere. Secaucus can provide 18 plus hotels to visitors. Every hotel room that is booked the TOWN OF SECAUCUS collects a tax that is to be used towards police, fire, and ems services. So who cares about blue laws?? the theme park, water park, ski dome, movie theater, and restaurants will not be affected either by blue laws.
3. Traffic? Yet again will never be as bad as when there is a game, concert, or major event at the stadium. We have been dealing with it since the 70′s. There will never be 80-100 thousand people all at once going to the American Dream
4. As far as the wetlands, as far as most of it is already built the additional area is minimal in comparison to what is already up.
5. Flooding and the Hurricane? Really ?? With the exception of Meadowview area the whole town is below sea level. The Hurricane was a “natural ” disaster. I saw the houses destroyed. I watched all the people in the neighborhood throwing out damaged property…. With that said, Whether American dream was there or not they would have been gone!!!
6. Drain on our resources? What drain would it be? Traffic? More police from the additional funds collected from the hotel tax. Additionally maybe the visitors coming in will actually show in the center of town.
7. Jobs? I read and re read my post never mentioned anything about jobs. I am not at all concerned about the jobs it creates, but since you brought it up it will create jobs, part time or full time it will create some work. I would not mind my kids working locally during summer break from college or high school to earn some money. Case in point …Metlife stadium provides many Secaucus Residents with part time event staff jobs. I know I use to do it as a second job for extra cash.
Again we are all entitled to our opinions and I actually do respect your opinion. I understand your environmental concerns etc, but you have to make the best of what is left of this situation….. I am employed full time work very hard and just feel that it would be nice to have a “Universal” type park local so that I can return some of my hard earned money back to New Jersey instead of florida or cali.
Itsjustme, lets see 20 years from now….if i am still around and i am wrong about this i will “blog” my apology to you…lol
You cannot live on minimum wage and you cannot live on part time minimum wage.
That is what a service job IS: a job you cannot live on.
When I said “our resources”, I meant collectively: How much more of a carbon footprint will it leave? A big one. How much traffic will it generate? A lot. The word “resources” covers a lot of territory.
And do you really think this area is tourist worthy? What is here? come on: the big attraction is accross the river. It’s not another damn mall in New Jersey.
New Jersey vacation destination points are for those in New Jersey. Not travellers from the other states.
I’d much rather spend my money on something destination-worthy. Not to travel to a mall. Malls are not vacation material.
This thing has been the ace of spades from the start. The parking lot is sinking and the entire interior is rusted and needs replacement? the original developer went bust and out of business (and kept the money that was generated thus far.). The project was stalled over 2 years ago; everybody was sent home and the entire works was shuttered. And the snow dome partially collapsed thanks to the ice and snow of the Winter of 2010-2011. There was even a death on the site; this happened sometime in 2008.
This thing was never a good idea. It was built with NOTHING in mind…. except the prospect of generating lots of money, either from public money or whatever sucker happens in to shop in it.
Well count me in as one of the suckers
the mozz king=Sucker but my family, my friends, and I will have fun when it opens there. Can’t wait!!!