Arts & Entertainment

LEGOLAND Comes Closer to Haverstraw

New York State is giving $3.1 million to the project developers.

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Lanning Taliaferro, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

The $250 million LEGOLAND NY theme park got the grant Rockland County officials had been seeking from New York state’s Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council.

The state announced it would give $3.1 million to the project, whose application for the money asked for assistance with phase one infrastructure work.

When the project—only in the conceptual stages—was announced in April, County Executive Ed Day said that the project would provide a boost to regional tourism as LEGOLAND NY projects up to two million visitors annually, two-thirds of whom would be tourists to the Mid-Hudson region.

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Here’s how the grant was described in a press release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office:


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$3.1 million to the Merlin Entertainments Group for LEGOLAND. This project would consist of the development of a site in Haverstraw for a new LEGOLAND theme park resort, including a theme park initially, followed by a water park and hotel. LEGOLAND Parks are designed for families with children ages 2-12 and have a strong educational component. LEGOLAND parks typically spur additional economic development in the area, including an increased need for lodging and retail space, and boost employment in the area.

Questions about traffic and taxes were raised by local officials after the concept was made public in the spring, the Rockland County Times reported.

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