MEADOWLANDS — Gov. Christie appeared at the signing of a labor agreement on Monday, April 28 involving the American Dream recreational/mall complex in East Rutherford (formerly “Xanadu”). The agreement, between the Bergen County Building and Construction Trades Council and mall developers the Triple Five Group, was a significant step forward for the troubled enterprise.
“One of the first projects is going to be getting that ugly outside of the building the hell off of this building,” the governor told attendees.
The orange and blue exterior of the building has frequently been cited as an eyesore. Triple Five plans to replace it with a sleek, glass façade.
In addition to a shopping mall, the complex will include an amusement park and an indoor ski slope and water park.
The mall, once known as Xanadu, encountered trouble almost from inception in 2003, with two developers exiting the project after spending nearly $2 billion.
Most recently a protracted lawsuit with the NY Giants and Jets was settled by an agreement between the involved parties, clearing the way for Triple Five to move forward. They expect to spend almost $2 billion more to complete the project.
Gov. Christie estimated that 9,000 construction workers would be needed to complete the job, and 10,000 employees would be required to staff the complex, although other groups have placed the estimate at fewer than 6,000 construction jobs. — Art Schwartz
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