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Xanadu Complex At The Meadowlands Getting New Name And Look

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP)-- Out with Xanadu, in with The American Dream.

WCBS 880's Levon Putney: You'll Find The American Dream In The Meadowlands

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and mall developer Triple Five laid out ambitious new plans Tuesday for the troubled Xanadu retail and entertainment complex at the Meadowlands.

Photos: See More Photos Of The American Dream

It'll be renamed "The American Dream'' and the developers say the $3.7 billion megamall will be even bigger than their own Mall of America near Minneapolis.

It will have a glass-domed, indoor amusement park and water park with views of the city, an ice skating rink, stores, a movie theater and indoor ski slope.

"Skis, snowboards, everything you need it's all there," Paul Ghermezian with Triple Five told CBS 2's Christine Sloan.

1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports: Find The American Dream In New Jersey

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"It's an extraordinary destination for them to come and enjoy themselves and spend time with their families," Christie said. "I do have some issues with the way this building looks and it's getting a makeover, it's getting a new name, it's getting a new look."

They want to be done by the fall of 2013 so it's ready for the Super Bowl to be played in the New Meadowlands Stadium next door.

Christie and Triple Five said the expansion of the never-occupied Xanadu project to 3 million square feet will generate 9,000 construction jobs.

The state will help finance the project with $200 million in sales tax incentives.

Last month, Christie called Xanadu the ugliest building in New Jersey -- and possibly America.

Jon Hanson, who headed a committee appointed by Christie to study the future of casinos, racetracks and Xanadu, said the complex needed to shed its Kubla Khan-inspired name because "nobody in New Jersey knows what a Xanadu is."

What do you think of the new name and look? Let us know below


(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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