Main Street America: Metro Detroit's Disneyworld

[jw101]

In 2008, a handful of companies joined together to create the proposal known as Main Street America, an theme park to be built in Grayling, 2 times the size of Disneyworld, and the first of it's kind. It was supposed to be the first ever 4 season theme park, expected to break ground soon. What happened? A few months ago, I remembered calling one of the contact numbers on the website, with a woman stating "there is no official date yet." Here's the website: http://mainstreetamerica.tv/ the concept is awesome! Take a look, what do you think?

[jw101]

http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-mi...ns_for_ma.html Mlive article about the project, it was shelved because of the recession. Could this be revived in the near future?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

On the surface this proposal looks impressive, and I would love to check it out if it ever opens. But between the cost to build it, it's wonderful but remote location [[relative to major population centers), I seriously doubt the economics could work. I am not opposed to it: I wish them luck and will visit when they open. But, boy, I would not put my hard earned money into it. Long drive from Michigan cities, extremely long drive from other midwest cities, not near a major airport. Seeking to compete in a very consolidated industry with just a few major players operating most notable parks.

I do give them credit for thinking outside the box, and envisioning it as a destination in every season. Hope they gloriously prove me wrong.

[davewindsor]

In 2008, a handful of companies joined together to create the proposal known as Main Street America, an theme park to be built in Grayling, 2 times the size of Disneyworld, and the first of it's kind. It was supposed to be the first ever 4 season theme park, expected to break ground soon. What happened? A few months ago, I remembered calling one of the contact numbers on the website, with a woman stating "there is no official date yet." Here's the website: http://mainstreetamerica.tv/ the concept is awesome! Take a look, what do you think?

Twice the size of Disneyworld in a remote area that's a three and a half hour drive North of Detroit? It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard since William Hults and that Doctor wanted to redevelop the Packard. Disneyworld has 54,000 employees. http://wdwradio.com/forums/walt-disn...part-time.html If the average yearly wage of a Disney employee is $10,000 a year, Disney would have to make $1.48m a day just to cover their payroll. But, these guys wanna be double the size of Disneyworld, so that's almost $3m a day plus property taxes, electricity, insurance, etc., just to break even.

They would be taking their investors to the cleaners. They would never get that many people visiting it so far north. If they made a smaller version of it on Belle Isle, it might work. But, Grayling? Come on, it's outrageous.

[Packman41]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was a scam.

The developer was looking for the State to give him $13.5 million in tax dollars to subsidize his “plan” to build a year-round amusement park. This, despite the ONLY prior experience he had in an amusement park led to gross mismanagement and went into BK Chapter 7 before it was half-way built. The classic scam of using other people’s money without having any skin of your own into the game.

The developer had declared BK personally just a few years prior to starting Main Street. The State gave him too many chances to make good on his word and he was NEVER able to produce, accurate site plans, accurate construction costs, and most importantly – other investors and lenders. This was probably because his financial forecasts for operations were so wildly optimistic as to be laughable.

The one lender he did bring to the Crawford County Board of Commissioners & DNR meetings was exposed in a WSJ article as a being under investigation by the FBI for illegal lending activities and by California and Pennsylvania securities regulators for violating their cease-and-desist orders. When the State found out who his alleged financial source was it killed what little credibility he had left. After that the scheme quickly died away.

I could go on with MUCH more, but that deal was a loser from day one.

[eliboyer]

On the surface this proposal looks impressive, and I would love to check it out if it ever opens. But between the cost to build it, it's wonderful but remote location [[relative to major population centers), I seriously doubt the economics could work. I am not opposed to it: I wish them luck and will visit when they open. But, boy, I would not put my hard earned money into it. Long drive from Michigan cities, extremely long drive from other midwest cities, not near a major airport. Seeking to compete in a very consolidated industry with just a few major players operating most notable parks.

I do give them credit for thinking outside the box, and envisioning it as a destination in every season. Hope they gloriously prove me wrong.

How in any way do the low-budget stock photos on that crap website look impressive to you?

[EastsideAl]

Since when was Grayling anywhere near "Metro Detroit"? And why would anyone seriously think that a "four season theme park" way out in the northern woods hundreds of miles from the nearest major city or airport was really going to attract enough visitors to be viable?

[mercyme]

Since when was Grayling anywhere near "Metro Detroit"? And why would anyone seriously think that a "four season theme park" way out in the northern woods hundreds of miles from the nearest major city or airport was really going to attract enough visitors to be viable?

Before Disney World Orlando was a little town in the middle of nowhere.........

[KOMPOST]

It's like someone crossed Mackinaw Island with Disney World.
You couldn't pay me to visit that creepfest of a theme park if it ever did come to fruition.
Fortunately, it will not.
Because there are forces of good in this universe, too.

[Hermod]

Maybe they could do a "Poletown" on the whole east side and make a giant theme park there. Incorporate City Airport right into the park for direct flights.

[Detroitnerd]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was a scam.

The developer was looking for the State to give him $13.5 million in tax dollars to subsidize his “plan” to build a year-round amusement park. ... The classic scam of using other people’s money without having any skin of your own into the game.

Definitely agree. The state shouldn't meddle in business plans by subsidizing certain deals, especially picking shady "winners" whose business practices have been disreputable, who owe lots of back taxes or sit on properties and just let them fall apart.

Oh wait ...

[JBMcB]

Oh wait ...

That's totally different, because RED WINGS GO SPORTS YAY!

[iheartthed]

Definitely agree. The state shouldn't meddle in business plans by subsidizing certain deals, especially picking shady "winners" whose business practices have been disreputable, who owe lots of back taxes or sit on properties and just let them fall apart.

Oh wait ...

Nope, nope, nope, it's different! The Red Wings only play for half of the year.

[Honky Tonk]

It's like someone crossed Mackinaw Island with Disney World.
You couldn't pay me to visit that creepfest of a theme park if it ever did come to fruition.
Fortunately, it will not.
Because there are forces of good in this universe, too.

Why anyone would want to go see anything like this, is beyond me. Of all the interesting places on the planet one could spend one's money.......

[mtburb]

Nope, nope, nope, it's different! The Red Wings only play for half of the year.

And for the other half, the Tigers are provided to us as well by "Mr. Parking Lot Fan Who Hates Historical Preservation And Makes Pizzas".

[EastsideAl]

Before Disney World Orlando was a little town in the middle of nowhere.........

Well, in the middle of Florida, where you aren't going to have a couple of feet of snow on the ground and single digit temperatures very often, and will have thousands of tourists passing through for most of the year. And a metropolitan area that already had half a million people in it before Disney built nearby can hardly be said to be in the same class of "little town" as 1,900 person Grayling. In addition to the fact that it's about an hour from Tampa, instead of 3+ hours from Detroit, and near interstates that lead to other large population centers rather than to the sparsely populated U.P.

[canuck]

Maybe they could do a "Poletown" on the whole east side and make a giant theme park there. Incorporate City Airport right into the park for direct flights.

Looking for the choo-choo train in all of this.

[Hermod]

Looking for the choo-choo train in all of this.

The park will pay for a magic choo choo up Gratiot.

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[Hypestyles]

if the right space were cleared out, former industrial space, etc., some amusement park could be created within urban Detroit. Developers, where are you at?