Oklahoma’s $2.5B Disney-sized theme park reportedly fails to launch

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Building of the $2.5 billion American Heartland theme park and resort slated for Vinita, Oklahoma, has not progressed one yr after groundbreaking, in accordance with Tulsa World. The native information outlet reported the 2026 opening will possible be pushed again at the very least three years, however builders say the mission remains to be on.

Designs for the 1,000-acre growth, first introduced in July 2023, embody curler coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room resort and an RV park sprawled over a footprint that would rival Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in measurement. Its design group consists of former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers.

The mission is scheduled in phases, beginning with the 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, which broke floor on Oct. 30, 2023. Nonetheless, work is at present on maintain and developer Mansion Leisure Group stated it’s awaiting allow approvals from the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, in accordance with Tulsa World. 

Little has occurred on the positioning of what can be the most important campground within the central U.S. with 750 RV areas and 300 cabins, Tulsa World reported, however builders stated they’re weeks away from development beginning. In April, Steve Hedrick, American Heartland government producer of mission growth, instructed Vinita Metropolis Council members he was asking for RV park designs to be compressed to keep away from being in a floodplain, nonprofit Oklahoma information outlet NonDoc reported.

Mansion Leisure Group spokesperson Kristy Adams declined to reply Building Dive’s questions, saying in an e mail, “We’ll replace our official social media pages and web sites when we’ve got a extra detailed timeline.”

Different mission troubles

The RV space was initially scheduled to open in spring 2025, adopted by the theme park and resort in fall 2026. The developer tapped Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Construction to build the RV park phase, in accordance with Fox23 Information. Oklahoma Metropolis-based structure agency ADG Blatt designed it, per the developer.

Nonetheless, others concerned within the mission say they’re owed cash. Canadian design agency Forrec filed a lien in Could in Craig County District Court docket in opposition to Mansion Leisure, claiming it’s owed nearly $5.5 million from unpaid invoices for design and planning work for each the theme park and RV park, in accordance with NonDoc.

Crossland filed an analogous declare later in Could in opposition to Mansion Leisure and property proprietor OGB Holdings that alleges it’s owed $352,429 for labor carried out and supplies furnished in February for the RV park and campground, per NonDoc. The corporate can also be looking for curiosity and attorneys’ charges. 

The event obtained one other setback in Could when legislators declined to approve a requested $35 million for water and wastewater enhancements to accommodate the mission, Yahoo reported.

At the least one skilled has expressed skepticism on the mission’s chance to return to fruition. Robert Niles, who runs Theme Park Insider, wrote final yr that theme park projects are notoriously challenging to construct and significant questions stay about American Heartland specifically. Not solely is the worth tag astronomical — and rising, per Tulsa World — however the park’s deliberate location is much from any main metropolis or airport, about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma Metropolis.