For the second time in less than five years, Miami-Dade County is looking to take its zoo to the next level - assuming the next level is possibly a Main Street USA theme park.
The Miami Herald reports that the county invited developers to propose plans for the vacant land surrounding Zoo Miami. "Basically," writes the Herald,"an open-ended plea for bright ideas, conceptual schemes and - this is key - private financing,"
This marks the county’s second pass at securing a development proposal for its properties, which besides the roughly 120 acres being made available under the invitation also include the zoo, the adjacent, lesser-known, Gold Coast Railroad Museum, a long-in-the-works military museum, and about 140 acres of protected pinelands that cannot be touched.
In 2009, the county held a similar bidding process calling specifically for water park proposals. Just two bids came in, the Herald reports, neither deemed feasible.
This time around the process is more open ended with more available land. Interested developers have reportedly tossed around the idea of a movie studio, a water park (again) and a "Main Street USA" themed attraction.
