CAMDEN, NJ-As Hoboken-Jersey City are to the Big Apple skyline, so Camden is to Philly's – but Camden is going to get gondolas to provide a moving panoramic view.
A plan was announced today to build an observation tower ride at the Camden Adventure Aquarium. The “Skyview Tower” is to rise 25 stories and 300 feet; each gondola ride would carry about 30 passengers.
The $5 million tower will be privately built by a British startup called Skyview. Work is expected to start next year.
The gondola ride tickets will be available through the aquarium and also sold as a separate attraction. Jeffrey Nash, the Camden County freeholder, said the tower will likely draw more than 150,000 visitors a year.
Kevin Keppel, executive director of aquarium parent company Herschend Family Entertainment, said there is new excitement about Camden's growth potential since the passage of the state Economic Opportunity Act that creates new targeted incentives for development in the city.
Camden's is one of four cities designated as an Urban Growth Zone under the act.
Camden's mayor Dana Redd said the project is right in line with her and Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter's "two cities, one waterfront" concept.
A giant ferris wheel has been part of the plan for the American Dream at The Meadowlands project in northern New Jersey, which would provide the same sort of birds-eye view of the Manhattan skyline. Work on that project has been stalled by a long-running legal dispute between developers and the New York Giants and Jets football teams that play at the stadium adjacent to the site in East Rutherford.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
