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Triple Five: American Dream Miami mega mall opening put back to 2023

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Triple Five Group American Dreams mall in Miami exterior

Triple Five has pushed back the opening of the American Dream Miami mega mall to 2023, three years after the initially proposed opening date.

In order to be on track with the building timeline, Triple Five needs to attain approval on the development plans from the Miami-Dade County Commission by the end of 2017.

The $4 billion project needs to be redesignated from office and industrial usage to business and office use. This will enable the scheme to become a “family entertainment destination”, as opposed to what many believe is a mega-mall.

In the local area, the completion of nearby infrastructure improvements and transportation projects is currently set for 2022, reported Construction Drive.

Upon completion, American Dream Miami will be the largest mall and amusement park in the United States, taking over from Mall of America in Minneapolis.

The complex covers a vast area of 7.2 million square feet. “It includes a hotel, entertainment, retail, back-of-house operations and common areas,” Robert Gorlow, Triple Five’s senior executive on the project told Miami Today.

Plans include a comprehensive selection of 450 retailers, restaurants and services. Retailtainment is a strong component with what’s touted as the world’s tallest indoor ski park, a permanent Cirque du Soleil, a water ballet fountain, submarine rides, an aquarium, an arts centre for live performances and events, a multi-screen theatre complex and an indoor water park.

Triple Five Group in detailed talks

Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, the attorney representing the project spoke about the complex and detailed nature of the development. “As part of that agreement, a restrictive covenant requires us to create a minimum of 75,000 permanent jobs. There’s a 35% work requirement to use community small business enterprises for architects and engineers, and also a 35% requirement for construction. So we have made a specific commitment to the public good and job creation.”

Triple Five Group
Interior plans for American Dream Miami mall.

Developer International Atlantic LLC, part of the Triple Five Group, predicts the mall will draw over 300,000 visitors daily.

“They say it will be an entertainment and leisure centre that will rival Orlando, with over 70,000 cars each day,” said Jo Sesodia, Broward County’s director of planning and development management.

Officials have raised worries about traffic congestion. “We’re concerned about the impacts on Broward County residents and we’re making sure there are significant projects to mitigate them,” she said.

At a public meeting on 17 August, Broward presented the road and transport improvements it has proposed in the development improvement agreement.

The American Dream Miami project has had a chequered past. The original developer ran out of funds and Triple Five took over in 2011.

Images: Triple Five Group

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