EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ−Two and a half more years, and The American Dream Meadowlands will finally be completed, and open. But first, Gov. Chris Christie said at a ceremony celebrating recommencement of work at site Monday, the job will be “getting that ugly outside of the building the hell off of this building.”

The long-stalled project – originally known as Xanadu – is as famous for its garish exterior as it is for the long saga of its development.

On Monday, a labor agreement between the current developer, Triple Five, and the Bergen County Building and Construction Trades Council, was held at the IZOD Arena adjacent to the sprawling on-again, off-again construction site for American Dream.

The planned entertainment/retail complex – which will include an indoor ski slope, an amusement park, a water park and a retail mall, was first approved 11 years ago.

It has staggered its way through the Great Recession, three developers, strenuous opposition to its exterior design (Christie once deemed it the “ugliest damn building in America), and a two-year court battle against its expansion waged by the NFL's New York Giants and Jets who play at MetLife Stadium nearby.

On Monday, state and company officials said the American Dream will open in fall of 2016. Canada-based Triple Five, developers of the Mall of America, have committed to spending close to $2 billion to complete it.

The first task will be stripping the multi-colored façade.

Triple Five's Paul Ghermazian said the new design is characterized by "a lot of glass, really clean and exquisite, and I think a world-class building to be proud of."

Instant Insights /

American Dream Meadowlands Gets 2016 Opening Date

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