[Waterthrush]

I am keeping an eye on several huge New Jersey commercial developments that I think will never make it as paying propositions given that the days of cheap travel are over. They are somewhat unusual in that they are focused mostly on entertainment - not shopping (yet!) - and they will entail a lot of overhead costs (particularly energy) but will not be able to charge a high enough price to cover them.

One is the giant Xanadu "entertainment complex" in the New Jersey Meadowlands. With the removal of some of the sports teams, the Sports Authority folks authorized a huge entertainment center - things like indoor water park, etc - aimed at families. But the project has had immense trouble getting off the ground, and I think it's doubtful that the families they need will be able to afford to enter it, when transportation is factored in. They've quietly begun switching portions of it over to shopping, but even that will simply cannabalize existing malls. One developer has already disappeared. Construction has begun, but I think it's possible it might never be completed.

The second is the Virgin Spa resort at a former Moroccan royal estate, Natirar, in Somerset County. Just yesterday the Star Ledger ran a story the lack of progress in building this resort:
Story here for the next two weeks.

In this case the county had purchased the estate primarily as open space, with the hope of leasing a corner of it to the Virgin Airlines people to develop a "luxury spa." But the numbers don't add up, and the prospect of luring the wealthy to a distant "destination spa" is receding. The wealthiest can continue to find such spas in more exotic locations, and the next slice down will balk at the cost, when the huge energy needs of such a project are figured in.

At least in the case of Natirar, the open space will be the best outcome, and is why I am watching it, so I hope the project never gets off the ground. Unfortunately, construction has already begun on Xanadu, so I expect it will stand as a silent witness to the arrival of Peak Oil.

[RdSnt]

I disagree that entertainment will be the first effected. People will always need entertainment.
I do however agree that large projects will be cancelled. I'm in the digital production industry and I can see the large studios getting hit badly. They consume huge amounts of electricity for their render farms and massive storage arrays.
I can see many of these studios very quickly distributing their work amongst much smaller studios in widely distributed areas.

[heroineworshipper]

Can think of a lot of other reasons besides energy for New Jersey to be in danger.

[ColossalContrarian]

Entertainment\Service, I notice developments in danger in the Denver area I attribute this to the housing bubble. PO may not be so severe an impact at the moment but the housing bubble certainly is.

for those from Denver... the "Northfield Stapleton" area is what I'm referring to.

Stapleton was the old airport for Denver, before DIA was built out towards Kansas...

The area was transformed into a housing development and across the highway from it is a shopping mall area called Northfield Stapleton.

This is what I'm bitching about!!! The commercials on the radio are so fucking hypnotic I can't get the bullshit out of my head while I type this!!!

So basically I hope they go under. SEVERILY!!!

The housing development is still being built and houses are being put up for sale. It's a sad state of affairs for those trying to sell the shit. The area my get more popular because it is kinda centrally located but it got developed at the wrong time and in it's vecinity are some rough neighborhoods -Martin Luther King blvd runs right next to it. and across the street is a little rough.

So basically the Northfield Stapleton shopping center has some Entertainment value as per their annoying fucking commercials but I hope the bastards go under!!! and SOON!

[IanC]

I will enjoy watching these giant, energy wasting, China-product hawking, bad-food-selling projects that need to be flown-to or driven-to DIE DIE DIE. What a waste.

I'm a fiddler and play folk music in a band. My silver lining to Peak Oil is that people will be seeking more local entertainment which means I will hopefully reach a larger audience.

I know, I know, they will be unemployed and drunk, but, shit I play Irish music. The Irish have been unemployed and drunk for generations. It's a perfect match!

-Ian
Portland, OR

[Johnvancouver]

Speaking of music, IMHO, music of the day reflects the level of available energy of the day. I think after PO, on the down slope of the energy production, folk music and classical music may make a come back as we get back to our roots and rebalance the material and spiritual needs of our lives.

A lot of the rock n roll music (if you can still call it music) have a market because people have extra energy to burn and some of the loud, rude stuff serve as a vent for such extra energy. When the boom is over and we have to power down, they will go out of style, at least I hope.

[dorlomin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Johnvancouver', 'S')peaking of music, IMHO, music of the day reflects the level of available energy of the day. I think after PO, on the down slope of the energy production, folk music and classical music may make a come back as we get back to our roots and rebalance the material and spiritual needs of our lives.

A lot of the rock n roll music (if you can still call it music) have a market because people have extra energy to burn and some of the loud, rude stuff serve as a vent for such extra energy. When the boom is over and we have to power down, they will go out of style, at least I hope.

[dorlomin]

Will be funny if in the long run EuroDisney outlasts Orlando Disney, as the French one is so well served by rail, French nuclear power stations keeping its rail service running and German and Dutch tourists far more able to reach it than New Yorkers getting to Florida on $300 a barrel fuel costs by jet....

[Waterthrush]

XANADU WATCH 4/6/08

Rdsnt, you wrote:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') disagree that entertainment will be the first effected. People will always need entertainment.
I do however agree that large projects will be cancelled. I'm in the digital production industry and I can see the large studios getting hit badly. They consume huge amounts of electricity for their render farms and massive storage arrays.
I can see many of these studios very quickly distributing their work amongst much smaller studios in widely distributed areas.

[vision-master]

Dig this..........

Tour - the bigger bang 2005-2006.

Released 2007


A sign of the times, eh.

[SinisterBlueCat]

entertainment in danger? not around here. i live near here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Dells,_Wisconsin

and i had to go there today, and it was packed to the gills with people, all spending like there is no tomorrow. all staying in one of the 18 waterpark hotels that require a minimum two night stay and start at over $250 bucks a night.

by the way...it was announced on march 10th 2008

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Xanadu retail/entertainment complex at the Meadowlands will include a Legoland Discovery Centre, developers announced today.

The 44,000-square-foot children's attraction will be a "virtual city" made out of colorful, interlocking blocks, with hands-on activities such as model building, rides, a cinema with special effects, party rooms and a cafe.

[bodigami]

Do consumers really believe that buying makes one happy?! How could our culture have sinked so low?

[Waterthrush]

Well, an update on the huge New Jersey Xanadu complex in Newsweek this week, Is the American shopping mall dead?

I didn't realize that Xanadu was intended to be the biggest American mall. I did know that it was supposed to have a Ferris wheel and indoor surfing (not web!). But it's now pushed back another year, and - get this - $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'X')anadu, whose officials declined NEWSWEEK's requests for comment, has named just nine tenants for its 200 spaces.

[mos6507]

Given these screenshots, I'd say this project is in danger.

Coke Bottle Enterprise


Apple Store / Cosmetic Counter Bridge

[Waterthrush]

Updates on both of these big projects: around the end of March the New-Jersey Star-Ledger reported another in a series of endless delays http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/post_66.html of the hideous Meadowlands Xanadu complex (artificial waterfall, ski slope, Pepsi-advertising Ferris wheel - the latter announced its own delay at the end of April http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/xanadu_pepsi_globe_ferris_whee.html.) The most recent opening had been announced for August 2009, now August 2010 at best! I can't believe this thing will ever open. They are charging at least $12 for parking! The space had been originally some kind of indoor theme park, then morphed into a more standard ugly mall with some kiddie features. Now it sits unfinished. Last winter I watched a pair of snowy owls in the Meadowlands with Xanadu in the far background ... incongruous.


The other big project is the Virgin Spa at Natirar, about which the Star-Ledger reported on June 14:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')mid further delays in the opening of the Virgin Spa at Natirar, a recent proposal to construct a large tent on the site has opened a new controversy in the effort to build and open the resort now nearly six years in the making.