A team working to develop a waterpark on land owned by the city of Temecula, Calif. has failed to meet its deadline to complete the purchase.
This is the fourth time since 2000 that plans to develop a waterpark in the region have failed, according to The Press Enterprise.
Unlike in years past, however, director of community development, Armando Villa, has said the ongoing drought and problems with the water district influenced this latest attempt.
In January, the Temecula City Council approved selling 17.4 acres to a team affiliated with the former Wild Rivers water park in Irvine for $2.854 million, and executives were confident this latest effort would prove fruitful.
As the news agency writes:
"Wild Rivers President Mike Riedel said he was confident in the team’s ability to secure financing for the purchase of the land and construction, which was expected to run north of $20 million.".
However, the deal which required the team to close escrow by April 30 or lose it's deposit, has fallen flat. Previously, the drought had been mentioned as a possible obstacle, but a proposed water recirculation system supposedly would have circumvented the issue. Despite this proposal, the city still was required to submit a formal request to conduct a water supply assessment but failed to do so, said Meggan Valencia, spokeswoman for the Rancho California Water District.
Despite efforts by a number of waterparks to reduce water usage, other facilities have encountered resistance from local residents, including in Dublin, Calif., where locals are fighting a facility already under construction. Read More
