If you were to take a poll, chances are most Miamians would not say this city necessarily needs another mall. With the fresh Brickell City Centre drawing huge crowds and the recently renovated Aventura Mall (not to mention the planned 30-acre retail-centric Miami World Center in downtown), most would throw up their hands and say: we’re good.
But don’t tell that to the developers behind American Dream, a $4 billion, 3.5 million-square-foot mall/theme park/hotel that just won final approval from County commissioners to begin construction. The gargantuan project has been on our radar for some time now. The most recent county decision means it can officially break ground in unincorporated northwest Miami-Dade, two miles south of the Broward County border.
The planned amenities of American Dream are pretty ridiculous. Developers say the estimated 70,000 daily visitors will enjoy a 16-story indoor ski slope, a water park, movie theaters, a functional submarine, 2,000 hotel rooms and much more. If all this is making you think traffic, well you’re not alone. Local opposition to the project was strong, as was environmental opposition since the project sits a tad too close to the Everglades for some conservationists.
But despite it all, American Dream appears to be a reality. No word yet on when we can expect this behemoth.
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