The owners of Minnesota’s Mall of America are considering a US$200m (€162.5m, £144.7m) waterpark addition to the property, releasing a new rendering of the proposed project in the city of Bloomington.
The plan has been submitted by Triple 5 – the company that owns the property – detailing a 225,000sq ft (21,000sq m) waterpark to the east of the existing mall. According to the submission, the city would finance and own the development, hiring Triple 5 to operate the new venture. The DLR Group – an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimisation for new construction – are involved in the project’s design.
Triple 5 is seeking an international brand for the venture, suggesting in the proposal that brands such as Dreamworks or Nickelodeon could be utilised for theming on the project.
The proposed waterpark would sit near the existing Great Wolf resort, though access to that park is limited to visitors also booking a hotel stay, whereas the Triple 5 project would be open to the general public.
According to Triple 5, the operator has been interested in a waterpark development for several years as such a venture would help to fill hotel rooms “when business travellers and event uses do not”. The waterpark is part of existing plans for an expansion of the mall, which includes hotels, a performance space, meeting spaces and sports areas.
