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Water park resort to be built

Neo

By Neo
in Charlotte

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Andyc545 Burg

Andyc545

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I do have some official information in regards to this project due to some inside sources of the Amusement Park industry, my other hobby. Sorry if any of this information is repetitive. Also, there is an official announcement coming soon to answer the remainder of the specs...

- Company developing and overseeing operations is Great Wolf.

- Built on 37 acres in Concord off of Speedway Blvd behind Garden Ridge. If you are unfamilliar with where Garden Ridge is, it's part of the retail complex on the other side of 85 from Concord Mills. You actually can see it when driving on I-85. Also the site is a little closer to the mall than the speedway.

- Construction is to begin this October and is expected to open in the first half of 2009.

-The project is estimated to be a minimum investment of $70 million but looking closer possibly to $100 million.

- 466,000 square feet.

-There is already an open position to hire a safety manager.

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fortyniner Whistle-Stop

fortyniner

Posted
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I do have some official information in regards to this project due to some inside sources of the Amusement Park industry, my other hobby. Sorry if any of this information is repetitive. Also, there is an official announcement coming soon to answer the remainder of the specs...

- Company developing and overseeing operations is Great Wolf.

- Built on 37 acres in Concord off of Speedway Blvd behind Garden Ridge. If you are unfamilliar with where Garden Ridge is, it's part of the retail complex on the other side of 85 from Concord Mills. You actually can see it when driving on I-85. Also the site is a little closer to the mall than the speedway.

- Construction is to begin this October and is expected to open in the first half of 2009.

-The project is estimated to be a minimum investment of $70 million but looking closer possibly to $100 million.

- 466,000 square feet.

-There is already an open position to hire a safety manager.

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AuLukey Town

AuLukey

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I wonder if there is a maximum number of people per room allowed. $150 would be a good deal if you had a family of eight!

Going back off topic slightly back to the greenway topic, I was driving back home from visiting my parents just a little while ago and almost ran over a group of about twenty people walking across Weddington Rd at about 9:30pm walking from the restaurants on the Speedway side to the hotels on the CMills side. It was a little surprising to see pedestrians in this area.

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Raintree21 Town

Raintree21

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Saw a news story last night about the proposed water park and it's effects on the environment with regards to water. They are saying that it will use very little water due to it being enclosed and their recycling program. I still find it hard to believe that Cabarrus/Concord is so hard pressed for water that they are going to pipe it from the Catawba River Basin and yet they can justify this water park.

I also noticed that it seemed that the public is not aware of the exclusiveness of this project. The perception was that this was something that they could come to on a weekend and hang out by the pool. They didn't realize that you had to be a paying patron of the hotel in order to enjoy the water park.

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Neo City

Neo

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Saw a news story last night about the proposed water park and it's effects on the environment with regards to water. They are saying that it will use very little water due to it being enclosed and their recycling program. I still find it hard to believe that Cabarrus/Concord is so hard pressed for water that they are going to pipe it from the Catawba River Basin and yet they can justify this water park.

I also noticed that it seemed that the public is not aware of the exclusiveness of this project. The perception was that this was something that they could come to on a weekend and hang out by the pool. They didn't realize that you had to be a paying patron of the hotel in order to enjoy the water park.

I don't have much of a problem with the exclusivity of this 'water park' since it will be employing folks in this area. With all of the changes that have happened in Cabarrus County it is great that something like this could come and give those who may have lost their jobs with Philip Morris, CTC, etc. employment.

I would wager that this project won't use as much water as everyone expects due to it being indoors and recycled. Heat outside is obviously not going to vaporize the stuff into the sky as it would outdoors. I've heard this will use no more water than a small subdivision of which you don't hear much controversy about. Had this been a residential development, water use would likely have never been brought up but since it is for the tourism industry and not for county/city residents it is apparently an issue for some.

The water transfer from my understanding is not for current use but for growth that is a couple decades out.

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Raintree21 Town

Raintree21

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Those are all reasons given by the County Commissioner interviewed to have the park. The jobs lost being replaced, water being recycled, and the fact that it would use less water than an apartment complex. I still think it stands as a poor use of resources though, despite the economic postives.

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Neo City

Neo

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Those are all reasons given by the County Commissioner interviewed to have the park. The jobs lost being replaced, water being recycled, and the fact that it would use less water than an apartment complex. I still think it stands as a poor use of resources though, despite the economic postives.

So is the installment of a few pools in a neighborhood which would equate to about as much water as this will use but yet again you never hear a peep from anyone about private pools.

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Raintree21 Town

Raintree21

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Great Wolf released some details today:

The resort includes 402 suites, 16,000 square feet of meeting space and a 98,000-square-foot indoor entertainment area that includes the water park. There also will be spas for adults and children, an 18-hole outdoor miniature golf course, a food court and an interactive fantasy adventure game area.

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Andyc545 Burg

Andyc545

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I have a few other little tidbits for your pleasure regarding Great Wolf...

We aren't the only proposed city to get a project. The following cities are either also receiving one, or getting an expansion to their current:

Foxwoods Resort Casino, CT

Grand Mound, WA

Grapevine, TX

Williamsburg, VA

Traverse City, Michigan

Prices: for basic suite will be around $170/night for weekday

but about double (in the mid $300's) for weekend.

And also to give some pictures to give an idea. There are not of the one for Charlotte but of some of the others listed above, just to give an idea what can be expected.

db_GrandMoundRendering23.jpg

db_2008_Howl-In-One19.jpg

And here is a picture of MagiQuest, which is the interactive fantasy adventure game that Raintree21 described. It's not very impressive-the magiQuest...

db_2008_MagiQuest19.jpg

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AuLukey Town

AuLukey

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In all actuality, I believe this project will still be built regardless of what Smith decides. While that area does rely on the races to give them a biannual "bonus," the hotels in that area actually have very good occupancy rates according to an article I read a few months ago (can't find it now, of course.) Apparently Cabarrus County has some of the best hotel occupancy rates of the counties in this metro. Even if three (race weeks) of the 52 weeks of the year were at full capacity, that really doesn't bring up a yearly average all THAT much. I think that this area will continue to thrive, just not as much as if the races were there. This all assuming he isn't just pitching a fit.

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Andyc545 Burg

Andyc545

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In all actuality, I believe this project will still be built regardless of what Smith decides. While that area does rely on the races to give them a biannual "bonus," the hotels in that area actually have very good occupancy rates according to an article I read a few months ago (can't find it now, of course.) Apparently Cabarrus County has some of the best hotel occupancy rates of the counties in this metro. Even if three (race weeks) of the 52 weeks of the year were at full capacity, that really doesn't bring up a yearly average all THAT much. I think that this area will continue to thrive, just not as much as if the races were there. This all assuming he isn't just pitching a fit.
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