An already-bustling area of Delaware County is about to get a lot busier.
Developers on Thursday announced plans for Planet Oasis, a 350-acre, $2 billion entertainment park near Tanger Outlet Mall, just off Interstate 71 near Sunbury.
Representatives of New Albany-based developer Blue Horseshoe Ventures say the park will include an indoor water park, skydiving simulator, indoor roller coaster, and what Blue Horseshoe Ventures CEO David Glimcher calls world-class BMX and snowboarding facilities hoping to attract big events.
“Planet Oasis is the entertainment venue of the future,” Glimcher said in a promotional video released on Tuesday. He says the park will be an "escape from the reality of everyday life."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk7e6w9096Q&t=20s
Glimcher says the project will bring close to 15,000 jobs to the area. Construction is expected to begin in December, with the park opening one year later.
The park is also sure to increase traffic in an area of Delaware County that’s already seen massive development in recent years. In the Thursday announcement, Glimcher said his company worked with state transportation officials. He says improvements to State Route 36/37 already in progress should be enough for the park’s initial opening.
But ODOT officials told The Columbus Dispatch they still have not received a required traffic study to examine the long-term impact.
Owners of the nearby Tanger mall are pitching in $10 million to add an I-71 exit about a mile south of the 36/37 interchange. Work on that exit is not expected to start until at least 2019.
This story contains information from the Associated Press
