Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort

[jayhawkjames]

Pulled this from the Bonner Springs Chieftain.

http://www.bonnersprings.com/section/news/story/7873

Waterpark plans are growing
By Joshua Roberts, reporter

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The lead developer of a new waterpark near Village West said Tuesday the project, previously described as a $412 million endeavor, may exceed $1 billion.

Jeff Henry, an owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks, said his family's Kansas City, Kan., project was designed to grab attention.

Estimates for the project are doing just that.

Henry said costs for Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, the latest tourist attraction project to locate to western Wyandotte County, could top $1 billion upon completion.

"This is the biggest gamble our family has ever taken," said Henry, who along with his brother, Gary, and sister, Jana Faber, own and operate a number of water parks in Texas.

If the KCK project pans out as expected, "we may just all move up there," he added.

In September, officials from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and the Henry family announced a deal that would bring a 300-acre, $412 million development to Kansas City, Kan. The development will be located on land currently used as the Wyandotte County Fairgrounds.

Plans for the attraction included a waterpark, 300-room hotel, 4,000 linear feet of river walk and 400,000 square feet of retail space, among numerous other amenities. The announcement four months ago included only the minimum of what Schlitterbahn developers could do, Henry said.

Developers believe the potential for the project is much greater.

For instance, Henry said developers are now working toward "a much grander project" that, once built out, could include between 1,200 and 2,000 hotel rooms, 6,000 linear feet of river walk and a winter park, making the Vacation Village a year-round attraction.

"If we find the market is there for it, we're going to build it," Henry said.

He said the project is intended to be a national attraction, drawing visitors from not only the Midwest, but from across the country.

"There will be a shortage of hotel rooms in the area, without a doubt, when we open," Henry said.

Don Denney, a Unified Government spokesman, said Wyandotte County would "welcome an expansion of the project to that magnitude."

He also praised the park as a welcome addition.

"It's going be a tremendous addition to our reputation as a destination point for families and it's going to create a lot of jobs," Denney said.

According to county officials, the Vacation Village will raise more than $3 million per year in property taxes, create 3,000 new jobs and draw approximately 3.3 million visitors per year.

Adding the winter park element to the Schlitterbahn project is a "new concept" for developers, Henry said. He described the winterpark as "a giant ski resort ... without the skiing."

The park would include facilities for sledding, tubing and toboggan. It will also include a ride that allows visitors to climb inside a "giant snowball."

Area residents should brace themselves for other new, exciting elements of the Vacation Village, Henry said.

"We've got some other secrets we haven't told anybody about, too," he said.


That is a huge diffence from 400 million to 1 billion.  Can't wait to see some updated design plans.

[Tosspot]

Just for reference, here's the original thread on this subject of the water park: http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... 469.0 

[LenexatoKCMO]

Pulled this from the Bonner Springs Chieftain.

good to see forum members scanning for development news in sources besides the Star and the BizJournal. 

[skim82]

excellent, I think this thing is going to be a landmark destination area for the entire Midwest. 

[BigSam]

excellent, I think this thing is going to be a landmark destination area for the entire Midwest. 

The Star finally got around to this story today.  It does sound quite interesting.  There is no timetable, but my guess is the R&D to convert some water rides to winter rides is already underway.  It is an interesting concept.

There is no timetable, so who knows when this stuff will come about (or if), but anything that makes KC more of a tourist destination will help the entire metro area in the long run.

It also makes it difficult for me to envision what that end of WyCo will look like in about 10 years.  With the proposed work on K-7 developing steam, this could become a pretty decent growth area not just reliant on tourism.

Too bad KC lost out on the NASCAR HoF, but news like this tends to reduce the sting of that loss.

Later,
Sam S.

[phxcat]

It would have been nice, but KCK will do just fine without it.

[jj116533]

There was news on a water park a few months ago, i hadn't heard anything, and i just thought that if there really is going be this huge 1.2 billion dollar water park we should have a thread about it.  Does anyone know information about constuction or anything post it please, i am dying to know some information about it. KC needs to get a world class water park.

[Tosspot]

There already is an official thread on this somewhere in the annals of this KS Suburbs board.

[Tosspot]

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... pic=7658.0

[justin8216]

You can visit this link to see site plans, building elevations, and renderings of the Hotel and Riverwalk.

http://www.wycokck.org/gen/wyco_generat ... m1653.html

[Deleted User]

.

[LenexatoKCMO]

You can visit this link to see site plans, building elevations, and renderings of the Hotel and Riverwalk.

http://www.wycokck.org/gen/wyco_generat ... m1653.html

  Good lord that's a petty damn tall hotel tower they look to be planning on building.  What about 25 floors? That ought to stand out on the western wyco skyline!

[BVC]

western wyco skyline!

I think the tallest thing on the WestWyCo skyline is the billboard pointing to Village West and the speedway!  Is this going to pave the way for a third metro skyline???  If this finally goes through along with Legoland, the tornado tower, and the other rumored things like the indoor ski slope, could the KC metro actually be considered a tourist destination?

Maybe the Land of Oz theme park will resurface...

[GRID]

"third" skyline?  one building?

KCMO has three, downtown, crown center and plaza and their are mini skylines in midtown like along Broadway or down Armour that it would take 100 years for western KCK to overtake.  Then you have the I-29 corridor of KC, North.  You have college blvd, you have KCK (downtown).

As I sit here and type this in Long Beach, CA I look out the window at a suburban skyline worth talking about, not a 20 story building surrounded by farmland .

Just the thought of a "skyline" out there makes me queezy, exactly what is wrong with KC.

[kcdcchef]

"third" skyline?  one building?

KCMO has three, downtown, crown center and plaza and their are mini skylines in midtown like along Broadway or down Armour that it would take 100 years for western KCK to overtake.  Then you have the I-29 corridor of KC, North.  You have college blvd, you have KCK (downtown).

As I sit here and type this in Long Beach, CA I look out the window at a suburban skyline worth talking about, not a 20 story building surrounded by farmland .

Just the thought of a "skyline" out there makes me queezy, exactly what is wrong with KC.

GRID

quit hatin' on the new center of the kc metro area, kck.

[KCkansas]

First Post!!! Well, I've been browsing around here for over a year now so I decided to get involve now (signed up for the forum)...but yea, CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS PARK TO GET ROLLING!!!

[kcdcchef]

First Post!!! Well, I've been browsing around here for over a year now so I decided to get involve now (signed up for the forum)...but yea, CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS PARK TO GET ROLLING!!!

too bad it may not.

[tat2kc]

I'll be spending a lot of warm weather time at this park when its done. The original in TX is loads of fun.

[BVC]

"third" skyline?  one building?

KCMO has three, downtown, crown center and plaza and their are mini skylines in midtown like along Broadway or down Armour that it would take 100 years for western KCK to overtake.  Then you have the I-29 corridor of KC, North.  You have college blvd, you have KCK (downtown).

As I sit here and type this in Long Beach, CA I look out the window at a suburban skyline worth talking about, not a 20 story building surrounded by farmland .

Just the thought of a "skyline" out there makes me queezy, exactly what is wrong with KC.

Good freaking Lord, lighten up Francis...obviously it was purely saracasm.  GRID, you really need to take a shot or two before you get into a Kansas or a suburban forum to take the edge off.

[KCLover]

According to our master of facts, KCDevin, a skyscraper is defined as a building 12 floors or taller. Don't know the truth to that or even care, but like it or not if they build a 12 story or taller building out there in the wheatfields they will officially have a 'skyline'.