"Disneyland North" Coming to Rosemont

By Rachelle Bowden in News on May 10, 2006 12:00PM

If you think that Great America is too expensive then maybe you should just wait around a while. Yesterday developers broke ground on a project that the Rosemont village mayor has dubbed "Disneyland North." Just what Chicago needs!

The development, to be called Rosemont Walk, will be comprised of 60 acres of hotels, restaurants, a movie multi-plex, office space and a big convention/conference center. Phase one of Rosemont Walk also calls for a $110 million waterpark resort. And a $128 million luxary hotel and 22-screen movie theater. Future phases include more offices, more hotels, more restaurants, a bowling alley, and an outdoor ice rink. You know what we think the artist drawings of the development look like? Not Disneyland. More like Reston, VA. Reston Town Center, hello? If you've been there, you known what we mean.

Developers seem to be hanging their hat on the "It's closer than Wisconsin" rationale, but is that enough? We suppose people will be able to drive or take the El out there... but will they? One developer says that people attending a convention in downtown Chicago can stay in the city for a few days then go out to Rosemont for a few, but that seems unlikely to us to happen. It seems their customer base would be families in and around Chicago. Right? Or business travelers stuck staying out there by O'Hare?