How Much Lego Do We Need?

Dear Nieces and Nephews

 

  

The proposed Legoland NY is going to be a monster compared to any other Legoland in the US. It is also going to form a triangle with the Legoland Discovery Centre in Westchester and the new discovery centre  in Northern NJ at the Meadowlands. which will also include rides. (Absence of rides is supposed to be a distinguishing feature between “discovery centre” and a full blown “theme park”.) The Meadowlands site is also scheduled to include an Aquarium. (another feature of the theme park status).

Sounds like the Meadowlands Lego site might be bit more than a “Discovery Centre”.

“Orange County, NY may soon be home to the country’s largest Legoland theme park”

Orange County, New York, twenty miles from the border of New Jersey, is set to be the new home of the largest Legoland theme park in the country. The proposed park will sit on 300 acres of land and will be more than twice the size of the (current largest) Legoland in Florida.”

“This Legoland will feature large, outdoor amusement park rides and attractions resembling Lego’s infamous plastic construction bricks. The park will be much larger than the Legoland Discovery Center in Westchester, New York and the one under construction in the Meadowlands. The new theme park will sit on farmland in Goshen, located off Route 17. Officials expect the park to attract around 1,000,000 visitors per year.”

 http://www.njfamily.com/Americas-Biggest-Legoland-May-Be-Heading-to-New-Jersey-Area/

“Not enough? There's also a Legoland Discovery Center in the works, that will include rides, play area and even LEGO-building classes.”

http://www.njfamily.com/NJ-Family/February-2016/NJ-Will-Become-Home-To-Largest-Mall-in-the-US-Because-of-Course/

"The two attractions that are run by Merlin Entertainments will take up more than 70,000 square feet combined, according to a news release, and the aquarium will include a tropical ocean tank with an underwater tunnel that guests may walk through". 

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2015/10/aquarium_legoland_coming_to_meadowlands_complex.html

The Legoland centres and theme parks are just so big:

Yonkers (Westchester County) 35k sq ft

Secaucus NJ (Bergen County) 70k sq ft

Goshen NY (Orange County)  site is 300 acres but will not be wholly occupied. The size of park is planned   to be 150 acres. (and the rest is buffer? Ha!)

Secaucus to Westchester under 25 miles; Secaucus to Goshen about 57 miles; Yonkers NY (Westchester) to Goshen about 55 miles. Nice close triangle.

ALL within an hour of each other and less than 60 miles apart. Commuting distance for most of us,

What makes Merlin think that Goshen will be immune to such market saturation? Or do they?

This race for more government grants, subsidies etc. makes us wonder what the game is, since these actions seem to defy all logic. Is it a game of “grab and go” leaving Goshen with a mess?  The Goshen site is outdoors and therefore not open year-round like the sites in Yonkers, Secaucus, California and Florida. Their proclamations about Goshen as the best site ring hollow in your Aunties ears. And take a look at this from Bloomberg:

"As family-friendly as that sounds, the regional U.S. amusement park industry is pretty unpleasant. Data kept by the National Amusement Park Historical Association shows that while 27 parks have opened around the country since 2010, 55 have closed. Even a tourist-saturated location doesn’t guarantee success: Hard Rock Park in visitor-heavy Myrtle Beach, S.C., shut after less than a year, struck down by the Great Recession. For these reasons, a Goshen Legoland is far from a guaranteed success."

"With four venues outside the U.S. and two more on the way, Merlin has been eyeing expansion into the Northeastern U.S. for some time. Rather than go head to head with the giant mouse, the company has fashioned a midsize strategy, as underlined in a 2014 TEA report. In it, the association noted that while “Merlin Entertainments continued its upward momentum,” it faces “a somewhat mixed picture for their midway attractions.” The report cites political unrest affecting projects in Thailand, poor weather on the U.S. East Coast, and a “delay in the capital investment program.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-11/forget-disney-inside-legoland-s-small-town-strategy

Why is there insistence on building in Goshen at a site totally unsuitable for a large theme park? A park as big as Sea World in San Diego?  Sullivan County has officially opened its doors to Merlin, trying to court a Legoland, why not go there? It is a bit further from the other sites and has more room. Doesn't that make more sense? 

Sometimes sense has nothing to do with developments in Orange County.

   

PS there is also a Legoland Discovery Centre set for Philadelphia PA Opening Spring 2017!

*For Comparison:

SeaWorld San Diego 190 acres; San Diego Zoo 100 acres 

Auntie again wants to thank the New Jersey team for their input!