The location of toy giant Mattel’s new indoor waterpark is no longer a mystery. It’s going to be 10 minutes from Disney on Vineland Road, just south of the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores outlet mall.
The development team, which is composed of Mattel and Orlando-based Martin Aquatic, filed conceptual plans this week for the 11-acre site that will feature a 90,000-square-foot indoor water park with a retractable roof, an outdoor waterpark and event lawn, a “slide zone” and 11,400 square feet of retail space, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. The building could be up to 60 feet high, which is definitely tall enough to fit a life-sized Barbie Dream House.
The plan from Kimley-Horn shows parking for 752 vehicles, including 368 to be located in a parking garage.
The company behind such iconic brands as Barbie, Hot Wheels and Thomas the Tank Engine, announced the water park venture just before Thanksgiving. Creative and operational work is underway, led by Orlando-based Martin Aquatic.
The Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterpark is planned for an 11-acre site on S.R. 535, next to the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores. (Orange County Property Appraiser)
“I can say that we will have an exclusive ride that will be a water slide that you can only experience at Mattel,” Josh Martin, president and creative director, told the Orlando Sentinel.
This will be the first of five such attractions, branded as Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks. The design focus is on bringing the world of Mattel products to life, and each park will have 12 or more unique brands featured, Martin said.
“We’re looking at those classic, iconic elements … What is familiar but unique about a Barbie area? So we look at the architecture. We’re not so focused on having Barbie characters. That’s not going to be the intent,” Martin said. “Mattel has an incredible history of board games and Mattel toys and games, and so being able to look at things like Uno, and think outside the box — what if I were to design a water slide that was around Uno? What elements would I include that feels like you’re playing the game?”
Some vendors have been selected, he said, including Canada-based OpenAire, which makes an aluminum-glass building with a retractable roof.
“The beauty of their building is it’s not like the traditional Great Wolf Lodge or some of the old legacy indoor water parks. It has natural light. It’s got a roof that lets natural weather come in,” Martin said. “In Florida, it’s going to be weatherized and protect us. We’re not going to run the risk of afternoon thunderstorms clearing out our water park.”
The vacant land, right on the Orange-Osceola line and north of the Sunrise City mixed-use district, is owned by Countyline Properties LLC. They previously submitted plans about a decade ago to build a second phase of the outlet mall on the property, which would have added roughly 110,000 square feet of new retail space, but never followed through on the project.
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