Mall of America will expand to include more retail and a casino

At a meeting with City of Bloomington, Minn. officials and at a public forum, the managing partners of Mall of America unveiled conceptual plans for Phase II that included a casino, high-end department stores, exclusive boutiques and restaurants featuring international cuisine. "When Phase II at Mall of America is completed, the people of Minnesota, as well as national and international tourists, will have access to high-end retail, nationally known multi-cultural exhibits, themed hotel rooms, numerous attractions including an NHL-sized ice skating rink open to the public, Tivoli Gardens, an indoor golf course and an international center for concerts and the performing arts. Combined with world class gaming the mall will draw even more tourists from around the world," said Nader Ghermezian, of Triple Five of Minnesota, Inc., the managing partner of Mall of America. The conceptual expansion plans, expected to cost more than $1 billion, presented to Bloomington city officials and the public proposes to double the size of Mall of America, currently the largest mall in the United States and will be located on an adjacent property once occupied by Met Center, the former home of the NHL's MN North Stars.

Included in the expansion will be a family-oriented hotel with themed rooms that will include an igloo room, a train room and a Hawaiian room, a concert center for the performing arts, dance and family shows, an NHL sized ice rink that will be open for public skating and ice shows, a tram that will transport passengers from the light rail station into the center of Phase II and an Italian canal with gondolas surrounded by dancing fountains. The expansion will also include restaurants serving food from around the world such as the Left Bank of Paris, Italy and Scandinavia. For the first time, mall officials included a casino in a Phase II development plan. Comprising less than 5 percent of the 4 million-sq.-ft. expansion, Ghermezian said a casino would help increase the mall's attractiveness as a major tourist destination bringing new revenue to the state and local economies.