Triple Five, meanwhile, said through its spokesman Alan Marcus: "We are clearly elated by the (Thursday) decision and will continue to move forward with our project." The entertainment company has been eking its way through a set of hurdles posed by federal and state environmental standards which must be met before the sports authority can give its formal approval to the project.

In essence, the judge’s 31-page ruling affirmed the teams’ right to oppose the project under terms of their agreement to play at the stadium – but said they can’t exercise that right until the sports authority acts.

"Without knowing what the final, approved proposal will be, the court cannot decide whether (it) will cause adverse effects to (the Giants and Jets), thus triggering their right under the cooperation agreement to consent to it," wrote Judge Peter Doyne.

Triple Five has pushed for two years now to win approvals for its $3.7 billion project, which has been re- designed to include a Dreamworks animation park along with a mega-mall and indoor sports activities. Triple Five first entered the picture after work stopped abruptly in mid-2009 on what had been known as the Xanadu complex. Previous developers’ financing collapsed amidst the real estate and credit crises.

Xanadu’s multi-colored half-built frame – widely derided as an eyesore – is highly visible to traffic on Route 3 and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The project was renamed American Dream Meadowlands by Triple Five.