Sony-themed indoor amusement park, water park planned in Albertville, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS — If a Wisconsin Dells resort and the Mall
of America had a baby, it might look something like what’s being
proposed in the Minneapolis-area city of Albertville.
of America had a baby, it might look something like what’s being
proposed in the Minneapolis-area city of Albertville.
A
Minnesota development group and Sony Pictures Consumer Products are
teaming up to build a Hollywood-themed family destination that is to
include a mini indoor amusement park — filled with activities and
experiences based on Sony’s movie characters and themes such as
“Ghostbusters.” It also will include a Marriott hotel and a large
indoor water park. The project, estimated to cost $115 million and
create 2,000 jobs in Minnesota, has initial support from elected
officials, including Albertville Mayor Jillian Hendrickson and Gov. Mark
Dayton.
Los Angeles-based iP2 Entertainment — a media company
that specializes in “immersive” family entertainment centers — opened
its first two concepts in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Phillipines,
in the last two years. The Albertville location is among three new
locations in the works.
While Minnesota doesn’t fit in with the
tropical crowd, iP2 and its local developer partners are confident that
the Albertville attraction, which would be a neighbor to the Albertville
Premium Outlets mall, will find its audience. The city is about 25
miles northwest of Minneapolis, about a three-hour drive down Interstate
94 from Fargo-Moorhead.
The project is scheduled to break ground
this summer and open at the end of 2017, just months before Minneapolis
hosts the Super Bowl at the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.
“We
announced a number of big international centers recently, but the one
with the partners of Black Forest will be the largest domestic one so
far,” Roger Houben, chief executive of iP2 Entertainment, said in an
email.
Dubbed the “Mall of Entertainment” on its website, the
facility is geared toward families who may want a getaway but can’t
afford to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios or other U.S. attractions.
The Sony-themed amusement park would be 50,000 square feet.
This
center would be adjacent to a 275-room Marriott Hotel with a
50,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. In total, the development would be
300,000 square feet on 18 acres of land just off I-94.
“There are
not many entertainment offerings in the area that can be experienced
year-round, and we believe the combination … will make it the perfect
staycation for residents,” Houben said.
In addition to the Sony
Pictures center that will feature movie-making and game-based
activities, there could be a National Geographic-branded center called
“Ultimate Explorer.” It is described on the Mall of Entertainment’s
website as “a special place where parents and children go to spend time
together while they play, jump, climb, explore and learn about our world
through the incredible and often breathtaking experiences National
Geographic is known for.”
The development group said the National Geographic component was not yet finalized and declined to comment on any details.
Besides
iP2, the other three partners in the development group, called Black
Forest LLC, are Casey Darkenwald, an area real estate manager; Robert
Kelly, senior vice president of construction at Roy Anderson Group; and
Kevin Hanson, chairman and founder of International Creative Capital.
The partners say all financing has been secured, but they did not
provide details on the investors.
Sony Pictures formally agreed to
branding rights early last year, and Black Forest finalized an
agreement with Marriott at the end of 2015.
Officials with the city of Albertville have known about the concept for years.
The developer already owns the land and has successfully rezoned the land with the city.
“They
have the land set up to be developed, and now they are honing in on the
use,” said Adam Nafstad, Albertville city administrator. “We are
excited to see more of the site plans and details and would very much
like to see this come to fruition.”
Both Nafstad and Hendrickson, the mayor, said they are thrilled that the project is gaining momentum.
The
Albertville outlet mall draws nearly 5 million visitors a year. Black
Forest and iP2 believe the new attraction, with an estimated entry fee
of about $20, will draw cost-conscious families from Minnesota, North
Dakota or other nearby states.
“Albertville is so ideally situated halfway between in St. Cloud and the Twin Cities,” Nafstad said.
“The concepts that I am aware of complement the current retail base and food-associated businesses.”
Minnesota development group and Sony Pictures Consumer Products are
teaming up to build a Hollywood-themed family destination that is to
include a mini indoor amusement park — filled with activities and
experiences based on Sony’s movie characters and themes such as
“Ghostbusters.” It also will include a Marriott hotel and a large
indoor water park. The project, estimated to cost $115 million and
create 2,000 jobs in Minnesota, has initial support from elected
officials, including Albertville Mayor Jillian Hendrickson and Gov. Mark
Dayton.
Los Angeles-based iP2 Entertainment — a media company
that specializes in “immersive” family entertainment centers — opened
its first two concepts in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Phillipines,
in the last two years. The Albertville location is among three new
locations in the works.
While Minnesota doesn’t fit in with the
tropical crowd, iP2 and its local developer partners are confident that
the Albertville attraction, which would be a neighbor to the Albertville
Premium Outlets mall, will find its audience. The city is about 25
miles northwest of Minneapolis, about a three-hour drive down Interstate
94 from Fargo-Moorhead.
The project is scheduled to break ground
this summer and open at the end of 2017, just months before Minneapolis
hosts the Super Bowl at the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.
“We
announced a number of big international centers recently, but the one
with the partners of Black Forest will be the largest domestic one so
far,” Roger Houben, chief executive of iP2 Entertainment, said in an
email.
Dubbed the “Mall of Entertainment” on its website, the
facility is geared toward families who may want a getaway but can’t
afford to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios or other U.S. attractions.
The Sony-themed amusement park would be 50,000 square feet.
This
center would be adjacent to a 275-room Marriott Hotel with a
50,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. In total, the development would be
300,000 square feet on 18 acres of land just off I-94.
“There are
not many entertainment offerings in the area that can be experienced
year-round, and we believe the combination … will make it the perfect
staycation for residents,” Houben said.
In addition to the Sony
Pictures center that will feature movie-making and game-based
activities, there could be a National Geographic-branded center called
“Ultimate Explorer.” It is described on the Mall of Entertainment’s
website as “a special place where parents and children go to spend time
together while they play, jump, climb, explore and learn about our world
through the incredible and often breathtaking experiences National
Geographic is known for.”
The development group said the National Geographic component was not yet finalized and declined to comment on any details.
Besides
iP2, the other three partners in the development group, called Black
Forest LLC, are Casey Darkenwald, an area real estate manager; Robert
Kelly, senior vice president of construction at Roy Anderson Group; and
Kevin Hanson, chairman and founder of International Creative Capital.
The partners say all financing has been secured, but they did not
provide details on the investors.
Sony Pictures formally agreed to
branding rights early last year, and Black Forest finalized an
agreement with Marriott at the end of 2015.
Officials with the city of Albertville have known about the concept for years.
The developer already owns the land and has successfully rezoned the land with the city.
“They
have the land set up to be developed, and now they are honing in on the
use,” said Adam Nafstad, Albertville city administrator. “We are
excited to see more of the site plans and details and would very much
like to see this come to fruition.”
Both Nafstad and Hendrickson, the mayor, said they are thrilled that the project is gaining momentum.
The
Albertville outlet mall draws nearly 5 million visitors a year. Black
Forest and iP2 believe the new attraction, with an estimated entry fee
of about $20, will draw cost-conscious families from Minnesota, North
Dakota or other nearby states.
“Albertville is so ideally situated halfway between in St. Cloud and the Twin Cities,” Nafstad said.
“The concepts that I am aware of complement the current retail base and food-associated businesses.”
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Sony indoor theme park, adjacent water park planned for Albertville |
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