EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority on Friday approved the master plan for the American Dream megamall in the Meadowlands sports complex, clearing the way for construction to resume on a project that has spanned 10 years and spawned jokes about its unique exterior.
The approval at Friday’s special board meeting comes against the backdrop of possible further legal action by the New York Giants and New York Jets, who have opposed the amended master plan because of traffic concerns on game days at adjacent MetLife Stadium.
A lawsuit by the teams against developer Triple Five and the sports authority was dismissed last year, but a judge said the teams could refile if the sports authority gave the project official approval.
The teams didn’t indicate Friday whether they would take that step.
“We learned just 48 hours ago that there would be a meeting of the NJSEA to vote on the AD project,” said Karen Kessler, a spokeswoman for the teams. “We had not seen any of the resolutions. Now that the vote occurred, we will be evaluating our options.”
Once known as Xanadu, the mall project dates back a decade, when the sports authority chose a partnership of the Mills Corporation and Mack-Cali Realty to build it. Originally scheduled to open in 2007, it was plagued by cost overruns and was taken over in 2006 by Colony Capital, which planned the world’s largest Ferris wheel among other attractions. In 2009, construction was stopped because financing dried up in the recession. Triple Five, which operates the Mall of America in Minnesota and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, took over in 2010.
The mall’s exterior of pastel panels, visible from the New Jersey Turnpike, has drawn ridicule and once moved Gov. Chris Christie to call it “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey and maybe America.”
Triple Five’s new plan for the complex includes a Hollywood-themed amusement and water park to go along with about 300 retail stores and high-end dining. In their lawsuit, the teams claimed the developer and sports authority shouldn’t have been allowed to proceed with the expanded plan without their input.
Alan Marcus, a spokesman for Triple Five, said Friday the developer is “delighted with today’s action by the Sports Authority and looks forward to moving ahead.”
Marcus didn’t offer a date for when construction might resume. He said once it does, it would take about 18 to 24 months to finish the bulk of the project, though the waterpark and amusement park could take longer. The mall won’t be officially open next February when the Meadowlands hosts the Super Bowl for the first time.
