American Dream developer halts N.J. mall project

The developer of the American Dream mall in north Miami-Dade County is still struggling to finish a mall with the same name in New Jersey.

Triple Five, the developer, suspended construction of the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands area of northeastern New Jersey on December 23 for what it called a “planned holiday slowdown.”

Triple Five told NorthJersey.com that work on the mall would resume this year. But construction has not resumed. The stalled construction work may derail plans to open the mall by 2018.

Triple Five has not responded to questions about a long-delayed $1.15 billion bond issue to fund construction of the mall. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority was supposed to sell the bonds.

New Jersey state senator Paul Sarlo told NorthJersey.com this month that he may sponsor a resolution urging Triple Five to resume construction or to allow the state to consider alternative projects at the development site.

The South Florida Regional Planning Council recently voted to submit to state regulators the Triple Five’s application to build the proposed American Dream Miami shopping mall in north Miami-Dade.

The advisory council’s unanimous vote pushed the big mall project a step closer to a decisive vote by the Miami-Dade County Commission to change the county’s comprehensive master plan for development to accommodate American Dream Miami, which would span six million square feet and would be the biggest mall in the nation. [NewJersey.com] – Mike Seemuth