Legoland wants to build theme park in Goshen

BY ERIKA NORTON
GOSHEN — After months of searching throughout Orange County, Legoland has narrowed its search down to a property in Goshen for its newest theme park, according to statement from Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates Legoland.
The park is expected to attract more than a million visitors a year, according to County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who has been pushing for the park to come to the region.
“We've been working with them for about six months,” Neuhaus said. “I reached out to Legoland, they met with Orange County, they met with a number of towns throughout the county, from Montgomery through New Windsor, to Woodbury and Blooming Grove, all the way up to the Middletown, Wallkill area. And it looks like they have fallen in love with Goshen.”
According to Merlin Entertainments, the company is hoping to bring an application to the Town Board for re-zoning of the land. There will most likely be a public meeting where the community members will have the opportunity to express any concerns, Neuhaus said, whether it be with traffic or other issues.
“We ask everybody to have an open mind and see what it's about,” Neuhaus said.

"I think it has the potential for bringing major benefits to the county.”
These benefits include not just jobs, but an educational aspect as a destination for field trips, he said. This would benefit not only the Goshen area, but the entire county.
How much tax revenue can Goshen expect? Neuhaus said Goshen as the host community, will come to an agreement with Merlin Entertainments, Neuhaus said.
Other tax revenue would come from the sales taxes on tickets, the hotel bedroom tax on the hotel, property tax for the school district, as well as revenue from visitors shopping and utilizing the greater Goshen area, according to Neuhaus.
“I think it's got the potential to be something really special for the community in many ways,” Neuhaus said.
A major new theme park would also bring with it major new traffic flow. Neuhaus said the state department of transportation is going to have to be a significant partner, but that New York State has been on board from day one and is very excited about the project.
This would be the third Legoland park in the United States, with the other two located in California and Florida. International Legoland parks are located in Dubai, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia and England. Merlin Entertainments says they're Europe's number one and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, operating 100 attractions, 13 hotels and four holiday villages in 23 countries.
The park in Orlando is the largest Legoland in the world, according to its website, and includes a waterpark and hotel.
“The prospect of Legoland coming to the region would be a huge win for the people of the Assembly district I represent,” asid James Skoufis, Assemblyman for District 99 which includes Goshen. “I've been a strong supporter of state incentives to bring the park to our area because it would create hundreds of local jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity.”
What do you think? Would you like to see Legoland come to Goshen? Post your comment below.