Spring 2019 Construction in the Ozarks: Aquarium at the Boardwalk

General contractor: Crossland Construction Co. Inc.
Size: 34,894 square feet
Estimated cost: $51 million
Estimated completion: August 2020
Project description: In late February, the Branson Board of Aldermen gave unanimous approval to a tax increment financing package for Los Angeles-based Kuvera Partners’ Aquarium at the Boardwalk development at the site of the former Grand Palace. The development is in line for $7 million in TIF assistance over 15 to 23 years, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Plans for the aquarium call for a 46,000-square-foot attraction with a boardwalk theme that takes visitors “under the sea” for views of marine animals. Renderings of the attraction show a giant octopus facing the 76 Strip and close-up views of stingrays, a so-called mermaid palace, a touch pool, coral reef and a jellyfish play area for children. Construction costs for the project total $30 million.