Call it "Xana-don't," if you will, but New Jersey officials say they want a paint makeover for a longtime eyesore.
Dubbed “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and maybe America” by state Gov. Chris Christie, the stalled project formerly known as Xanadu has a less bright and patterned future ahead, according to reports.
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Millertime83 / Wikimedia Commons |
State officials and developers are ready to do away with the patterns and colors on the project once known as Xanadu.
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Now called American Dream l Meadowlands, the super-mall project is in full view of the New Jersey Turnpike and just steps away from the MetLife Stadium. The home of the New York Jets and New York Giants is the field that will host Super Bowl XLVIII next year.
Construction at the mall site was halted in 2009 when financing fell through for the original developer, Mills Corp. But state officials are intent on getting this project on track, reports note.
Christie reportedly told media outlets that the project would begin in “the first quarter of 2013.”
Exterior Renovation Eyed
The multibillion-dollar mega-mall project will not be complete by game time on Feb. 2, 2014, but Triple Five, the project's new developer, is focusing on refinishing the building's exterior before kickoff.
“We share the view that changing the exterior façade of the existing building is a priority,” Alan Marcus, a Triple Five spokesman, told The Star-Ledger.
The original façade cost an estimated $40 million, according to a local CBS affiliate.
'God-awful Ugly'
No mincer of words, the governor gave his take on the project in 2011.
“They have to change the God-awful ugly outside of that building," he said. "It is just an offense to the eyes as you drive up the turnpike."
On its website, Triple 5 calls the project “one of the largest and most unique shopping, entertainment and tourism centers in the world.” The developer plans to add an indoor amusement park, ice rink and water park to the American Dream complex.
Among the financial burdens facing the owners, the Giants and Jets have voiced concern regarding the amount of traffic their new neighbor will generate. Reports say the teams want hours on the facility restricted on game days.
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