Legoland New York’s final brick has clicked into place, with big financial help from the state.
The group behind the planned amusement park in Orange County threw a party on Oct. 25 to celebrate the Town of Goshen Planning Board’s approval of its site plans, as well as an infusion of $18 million from the state — making the state’s total contribution to the proposal a whopping $25 million.
Merlin Entertainment, the parent company behind Legoland, said it would break ground this year and hoped to finish in 2020.
On Oct. 20, the town Planning Board green-lighted the final necessary steps for the $500 million, 514-acre entertainment complex. The board voted 6–0 to approve the site plan and grant permits for grading and clearing the land. Planning Board member Dave Gawronski, who had voted against approving Legoland’s final environmental impact statement in July, abstained from the Oct. 20 vote.
Opponents of the Legoland project have been vocal and present at various town meetings since the proposal first came to light about 17 months ago. They won a small victory in pushing through a referendum on the sale of eight town-owned acres to Legoland. That referendum is to take place in December, and if approved would increase Legoland’s acreage to 522.
Part of the opposition centers around traffic on Orange County’s Route 17, commonly known as the Quickway. Legoland is slated to be built off Exit 125 of the Quickway; $10 million of the state’s $25 million pledge is earmarked for traffic and roadway improvements.
