After two decades of false starts and setbacks, the grand opening of the American Dream mega-mall’s hundreds of retail stores, restaurants and DreamWorks water park is set to take place March 19. But the ribbon cutting comes as the deadly coronavirus spreads through the U.S., causing New Jersey’s first fatality, and a growing number of Americans are avoiding crowded spaces, Bloomberg News reported. The outbreak is the latest hurdle for the $5 billion complex next to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. These have included developers pulling out, a partially collapsed roof, funding shortfalls, delayed opening dates and the loss of two high-profile tenants to bankruptcy months before it was slated to debut. On Tuesday, New Jersey announced its first death from coronavirus — in the same county where the mall is located. Across the Hudson River in New Rochelle, New York, the National Guard is being sent to close large public gathering spaces in an effort to slow the spread of the outbreak. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning at-risk populations to avoid crowds. Still, American Dream is moving forward with its plan to open the water park and retail portion. “It’s just bad timing,” Gabriella Santaniello, founder of retail consulting firm A Line Partners, said. “They are really in a predicament. There are just things beyond their control.”
