BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The Mall of America could soon add a waterpark to its many attractions.
In a proposal pitched to the Bloomington City Council and Port Authority Tuesday night, the mega mall detailed plans for a $150 million to $200 million waterpark that could be built next to the giant shopping center and be open to the public.
At this point, the project is being proposed as a publicly owned (and taxpayer financed) waterpark.
The proposed plan calls for a 225,000-square-foot space, which would be one of the largest indoor waterparks in North America.
The indoor waterpark would be modeled after a similar attraction in the West Edmonton Mall in Canada. That property is 215,000-square-feet and is said to attract more than 500,000 guests annually.
So why a waterpark? Representatives from Triple 5, which own the Mall of America, told the city council that due to the changing climate of retail, and its struggles to keep up with Amazon, they are pushing new projects to have half of its makeup focused on entertainment.
The Mall of America is about 70 percent retail so adding another entertainment venue would help increase more traffic to the area, they claim.
The newly remodeled Great Wolf Lodge, which is right down the road from the Mall of America, is a 75,000-square-foot waterpark but is only available to guests who stay at the resort.
The city council will continue discussions on this at the next meeting.
