Phase II Expansion
Phase II is the planned expansion for MOA, developing a large, empty parcel of land north of the mall which was the former home of the Met Center indoor arena and integrating an IKEA store built on a portion of the property in 2004. Phase II includes a dinner theatre, ice rink, three hotels, and a waterpark; similar in design to the West Edmonton Mall.
The cost of expansion is $2.1 billion, doubling the mall's size with a 5,200,000-square-foot (480,000 m2) extension.
MOA has signed contracts to bring in Great Wolf Resorts as the waterpark operator, as well as Bass Pro Shops and a Kimpton Hotel. The expansion section will connect to the mall on all four levels, and an adjacent IKEA store via a second level bridge. There will be an NHL-sized ice rink for public & private skating. There will also be an additional parking ramp, adding 8,000 parking spaces. There will also be fine art exhibits planned in the expansion, and two upscale department stores. Another plan that was in the works would have seen fashions, architecture, and restaurants based after Europe.
The Mall of America lost one of its anchor stores, Bloomingdales, in the early months of 2012. They will now be doing reconstruction on the area and adding new stores.
On May 18, 2008, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill granting the city of Bloomington the right to raise property and sales taxes to pay for the MOA expansion. Construction of an expansion has begun, in early 2011, on the south side of the mall near Killebrew Drive, where a 500 room hotel, the Radisson Blu, will open in March of 2013.
On March 24, 2012, The Triple Five Group officially announced the start of a $200,000,000 expansion that would build into the north parking lot of the mall. Rather than the long planned Phase II expansion, this would be a step in building this expansion. The initial plans call for an additional hotel, medical building featuring a Mayo Clinic Wellness Center, and an additional 200,000 square feet of retail space.
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