GOSHEN – An overflow crowd
of area residents turned out Tuesday night at the Orange County 911 emergency
center in Goshen to learn what Merlin Entertainments has in store for
the $500 million Legoland facility that it wants to build along Route
17 near the Orange-Ulster BOCES facility in the Town of Goshen.
The company has an interest on the 523 acres of land with plans to build
on only 153 acres.
The auditorium in the 911 center was packed for the presentation
Assuming the all of the environmental issues are addressed and the town
grants final approval, Senior Divisional Director John Ussher said they
would hope to break ground in a year with completion by 2019.
The park, complete with a 250-room hotel, would be geared toward families
with children ages two to 12, he said. They would expect roughly two million
visitors annually and that is with the facility open from April 1 through
Halloween yearly.
One-third of the visitors are expected to be tourists, another one-third
would be day trippers and the final third would be local residents.
Ussher said they would hope to connect with the Village of Goshen for
water and sewer service and have addressed the issues of noise, traffic
and public opinion.
Ussher said Legoland has secured state grants and will seek others as
well as Orange County Industrial Development Agency financial incentives
including a payment-in-lieu of taxes, and exemptions from mortgage recording
and sales tax.
Company plans also propose modifications for Route 17 to bring visitors
in and out of the park, which Ussher said would be paid for by the state.
