Legoland To Build Discovery Center At Milpitas Great Mall

MILPITAS, CA -- The blessing of any kid wanting to erect his or her own world, star theme park Legoland has linked up with the city of Milpitas for plans to open its first Discovery Center in California next year.

The interactive attraction of the renowned building-block toy expects to set up shop in 2020 where the Sears was located in the Great Mall, a sprawling mega shopping center spanning over million square feet.

"This is not your typical amusement park," Milpitas Economic Development Director Alex Andrade told Patch.

The proposed Legoland Discovery Center is more like a place of learning than playing. Think Exploratorium in San Francisco with its own merchandising style and design flair. The company will use 31,000 square feet of the mall situated between Interstates 680 and 880.

First, it will need conditional use, building and sign permits from the city to accomplish its goal. Following posting a public notice, the Milpitas Planning Commission is due to take up the proposal on April 24.

Shop staffers from Abercrombie and Fitch to Zumiez children's apparel sounded off with optimism about the possibility of gaining a fellow tenant with Legoland coming on board.

"I think it will be amazing to have it here. It's going to be an asset," Zumiez Manager Tatiana Cook told Patch. Cook once worked as a nanny and developed a keen appreciation for interactive children's centers.

Beyond the shops' anticipated gain in foot traffic, the other beneficiary will be the city to gain valuable sales tax on retail purchases - a cent for every dollar generated on merchandise.

"It doesn't sound like very much, but it really adds up to a significant windfall to cities," Andrade said.

Tickets for two-hour tours may run about $25, Andrade was told.

Meanwhile, numerous attempted contacts with Legoland remained unreturned as of Wednesday.

Great Mall representatives have declined to comment on the addition.

Even before visitors get to the gift shop, the projected revenue is striking. More than 300,000 people a year are anticipated to cross into the world of creative fun that replaced Lincoln Logs as the building toy for youth from all over the world.

Based in United Kingdom, Legoland's largest park is located in Windsor, England - residence of the queen. The oldest park was constructed in Denmark in 1968.

Legoland manages Discovery Centers in almost a dozen locations from Boston to Dallas and another in Toronto, Canada. Within California, its signature amusement park sits in Carlsbad. The San Diego County enterprise grew from a land-based park to adding a Sea Life Aquarium.