Mall of America was put up as collateral for construction of American Dream
The owner of Mall of America put up the Bloomington, Minn., mega-mall as collateral for a construction loan for the American Dream complex set to open this fall in the New Jersey Meadowlands, according to a report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Triple Five Group pledged a 49% stake in Mall of America to complete the 3 million-sq.-ft. retail and entertainment complex that first emerged from the Jersey swamps as a Mills Corporation project called Xanadu in 2004. Slowed by financing issues, construction delays, legal challenges, and a wholesale rethinking of the project by Triple Five, American Dream will finally open in October with both luxury and standard retail wings, an amusement park, and the nation’s largest wave pool and first indoor ski slope.
Chain Store Age representatives toured the American Dream site earlier this month, finding it mostly completed, and were assured by Triple Five officials that the mall would be open for business on October 25.
Bloomington city officials recently discovered Triple Five’s 2017 financing arrangement involving Mall of America when reviewing bond documents. As a result, the city changed the nature of its contract with Triple Five to compel disclosure of such financial arrangements in the future.
“Financing approaches like this are quite common in large development projects such as American Dream,” said Triple Five executive Kurt Hagen in a statement published in the Star-Tribune. “Construction loans typically require guarantees from a parent company, and since Triple Five is not a public company, this was the most direct way…to provide that guarantee. It is strictly a contingent liability and no impact is anticipated on Mall of America.”
Triple Five Group pledged a 49% stake in Mall of America to complete the 3 million-sq.-ft. retail and entertainment complex that first emerged from the Jersey swamps as a Mills Corporation project called Xanadu in 2004. Slowed by financing issues, construction delays, legal challenges, and a wholesale rethinking of the project by Triple Five, American Dream will finally open in October with both luxury and standard retail wings, an amusement park, and the nation’s largest wave pool and first indoor ski slope.
Chain Store Age representatives toured the American Dream site earlier this month, finding it mostly completed, and were assured by Triple Five officials that the mall would be open for business on October 25.
Bloomington city officials recently discovered Triple Five’s 2017 financing arrangement involving Mall of America when reviewing bond documents. As a result, the city changed the nature of its contract with Triple Five to compel disclosure of such financial arrangements in the future.
“Financing approaches like this are quite common in large development projects such as American Dream,” said Triple Five executive Kurt Hagen in a statement published in the Star-Tribune. “Construction loans typically require guarantees from a parent company, and since Triple Five is not a public company, this was the most direct way…to provide that guarantee. It is strictly a contingent liability and no impact is anticipated on Mall of America.”