Among the attractions that opened in 2019 were the Nickelodeon Universe theme park in October and the Big Snow American Dream ski slope in December.

[26] After Empire and Mills announced their proposal in 1996, the project quickly became controversial and faced opposition from a variety of environmental and conservationist groups, as well as the tract's congressman, Steve Rothman.

However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted its own study which contradicted the EPA's findings and stated that the project was not a threat to the Meadowlands area.

[26] New Jersey governor Donald DiFrancesco announced plans to protect the area in 2001, encouraging the Mills Corporation to look at other potential sites in the region.

[28] His successor, Jim McGreevey, informed Mills the following year that the state government would not provide permits for the mall, effectively ending the project as originally proposed.

[29] The Empire Tract was later permanently protected by the Meadowlands Conservation Trust, which purchased it in 2005 and renamed it the Richard P. Kane Natural Area after a noted New Jersey conservationist.

[24] In July 2002, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) issued a request for proposal for a project in the area that was then the parking lot of the Continental Airlines Arena.

The request was inspired by the Meadowlands Mills project as well as by plans to move the New Jersey Nets out of the arena, and involved significantly less environmental damage because it would be built on already developed land.

Hartz Mountain Industries and Forest City Realty Trust submitted plans for Expo Park at the Meadowlands, featuring an outlet mall, a convention center, an indoor racetrack, and three hotel buildings.

[32][34] In February 2003, the authority's board chose Mills Corporation and Mack-Cali's plan over the other two finalists, Westfield Group and Hartz Mountain Industries.

[31] The project was billed by Mills chairman and executive officer Laurence E. Siegel as "...a new standard for bringing lifestyle, recreation, sports and family entertainment offerings together in one location.

[49] The Wall Street Journal on December 24, 2010, reported that Triple Five Group signed a letter of intent to invest in and finish the stalled mall.

[41] On February 1, 2011, after a record-breaking month of snow for the area,[51] a 50- to 60-foot-long section of the eastern wall had buckled, and a horizontal crease was apparent on the complex's indoor ski slope.

[33] Triple Five assumed ownership of the mall and renamed it "American Dream Meadowlands", announcing a tentative opening date of early 2014, to coincide with Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.

[55] In June 2012, the Giants and the Jets sought an injunction against Triple Five from resuming construction after it took over the project from the Mills Corporation, stating that the addition of amusement and water parks at the site would adversely affect traffic at MetLife stadium on days when home games were played there,[56][57] specifically 16 Sundays out of the year, the day of the week that Bergen County's Blue Law prohibits shopping, though not amusement parks.

Traffic studies conducted by the team estimated that 7,700 spots would be added by the project, while developers stated that it would add only 63 more cars, as local residents would be wise enough to avoid the grounds at that time, and most tourists would take the rail link to the MetLife Stadium site rather than drive.

[58] In July 2012 Triple Five countersued for what it called an improper campaign by the teams to preserve their monopoly at the site, while dissuading potential lenders from investing.

[66] In September 2016, Triple Five Group announced that the indoor amusement park space would be occupied by Nickelodeon Universe,[67] which would feature two world record-holding roller coasters.

The TMNT Shellraiser, a Euro-Fighter, would hold the record for the steepest roller coaster drop at 121.5 degrees,[68][69] and is based on a model seen at two other locations in the United States.

[70] In May of that year, the developers secured $1.67 billion in construction financing from a private lending syndicate led by JPMorgan Chase,[71] and by the following month, work had resumed.

[91] On October 25, 2019, the mall opened its first chapter, an ice-skating rink and a Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park,[1] which contained more than 35 rides and attractions.

[95] On March 8, the mall closed,[20] which Triple Five Worldwide announced was a temporary measure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, thus again delaying the opening of its retail shops and the DreamWorks Water Park.

Among the newly announced entertainment venues would be a trampoline park, eight more rides to Nickelodeon Universe, and interactive museums featuring elaborate props and backdrops.

[7][75] Announced in February 2008, PepsiCo agreed to pay $100 million for a ten-year sponsorship of Pepsi Globe, a London Eye-style ferris wheel built facing the New Jersey Turnpike that would measure 287 ft (87 m), and feature 26 glass enclosed, climate controlled gondolas that would take 20 people on 25-minute rides.

The project is being built on state-owned land, as the NJSEA is a state agency, and $81.3 million was spent on transportation improvements such as new off and on ramps and a train station at the Sports Complex.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, stated, "This project will increase traffic and flooding while taking business away from existing stores.

[165] In 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration expressed concerns about the height of the Ferris wheel, which at the time was planned to be 287 ft (87 m), which the FAA feared would affect local air traffic to and from Teterboro Airport.

Traffic studies conducted by the team estimated that 7,700 spots would be added by the project; the developers countered that the amusement parks would add only 63 more cars, claiming that local residents would be wise enough to avoid visiting on a game day, and most tourists would take the rail link rather than drive.

[59][60] In July 2012 Triple Five countersued for what it called an improper campaign by the teams to preserve their monopoly at the site while dissuading potential lenders from investing.

[57] In February 2015, U.S. federal prosecutors accused Joe Ferriero, former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization and New Jersey political power broker, of bribery, fraud, and racketeering charges.