Critics deride New Jersey's offer to revive an unfinished mall

[marmar]

Critics deride New Jersey's offer to revive an unfinished mall

Philip Langdon
New Urban Network


At the end of April, The New York Times reported that "Gov. Chris Christie and the developers of the Mall of America have struck a deal to pour in $1 billion more in hopes of reviving the oft-ridiculed Xanadu Meadowlands complex" in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

If all goes as the governor and the developers hope, the complex, now renamed "American Dream@Meadowlands," will be the largest retail and entertainment complex in the United States and the third-largest in the world, with 4,500,000 square feet of entertainment, sports, and retail space, according to Wikipedia.

....(snip)....

Nicole Gelinas, a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, wrote May 8 in the Star-Ledger of Newark that Christie's decision "shows a lapse in judgment, at best." Gelinas said, "The Republican governor should understand that there’s no place for public money in a mall, even one with indoor ski slopes. If Xanadu’s new owners and lenders thought that American Dream’s prospects were stellar, they’d fund the thing themselves."

....(snip)....

But Ingle pointed out that even Christie supporters "are questioning the very idea of tossing more money into a pit that has produced little more than 'only in Jersey' jokes." .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://newurbannetwork.com/article/critics-deride-new-jerseys-offer-revive-unfinished-mall-14696

[rfranklin]

1. But, but, Christie's cronies can make big bucks with this boondoggle!

Isn't that reason enough to revive this dumber than dumb project?

[the_chinuk]

2. I'm surprised nobody's makde the "Kublai Khan" joke yet.

"In Meadowlands did Chris Christie
A Stately Shopping Mall decree
Where Cash, the stately river ran
Through contractors measureless to man
Down to a sunless GOP"

The rest of you are going to have to pick this one up. I was never a fan of Coleridge.

Oh, hey, here's Wikipedia on the project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream_Meadowlands

[WinkyDink]

7. "Never a fan?! "KK" is BRILLIANT, and your parody does it justice!

Yes, I taught the Romantics back in the day.

[the_chinuk]

10. Well never a BIG fan. I could be just a little too prole for it. B-)

[hatrack]

3. Yes, just what America needs right now - more half-filled retail space . . . .

Funded with lots and lots of taxpayer dollars.

:eyes:

[no_hypocrisy]

4. And buying stuff made in other countries.

[Stevenmarc]

5. Leave it to a Teabagger to rename a rip-roaring disaster The American Dream

[WinkyDink]

6. Ever been to The Meadowlands? It's a hell-hole in an industrial swamp off the highway.

[jp11]

8. It isn't any more stupid than using public money to fund stadiums that don't make

money for the locales they are in, but it happens, don't get me wrong I don't agree with funding this POS but just saying.

[VWolf]

9. FWIW, that's exactly what lies next to this "Dream"

Not sure exactly how the "New Meadowlands Stadium" will benefit anyone except the Giants & Jets.

Hey Christie, what about the tunnel project you abandoned? You said we didn't have enough money for it.

[nykym]

11. That's where he thinks he can

funnel the money from, He refuses to give back the 270+million from the FED. Guess he thinks he can call it a road repair and write it off.