The ultimate success or failure of the giant Xanadu complex in New Jersey, which incorporates North America’s only constructed (if not open) indoor snow centre, continues to rumble on.

On the one hand media reports that the State of New Jersey may be considering seizing the land on which the ‘ultimate mall’, previously considered, “too big to fail” is located. This seems unlikely however as owners Colony capital have paid $160 million in advance rent through to about 2020.

On the other hand, the billionaire Steve Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins football team, is reported to be in negotiations to invest in the project, bridging a £500m gap left by the collapse of investment bank Lehman brothers, potentially enabling it to be completed and opened.

Whatever happens, New Jersey’s new governor Chris Christie, who took office in January, seems keen to deal with Xanadu one way or another.

Meanwhile the NorthJersey media group (www.northjersey.com) has announced that Select Contracts, the company behind several indoor snow developments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In 2001, an affiliate of Select Contracts secured the rights to produce chemical-free, natural snow in the Middle East. A Xanadu spokesperson declined to comment on whether Select Contracts would manage the Xanadu SnowPark — formerly called a "snow dome." The application was published in The Record on Monday.

The project was first envisaged at least 10 years ago and was given the formal go ahead in 2003. So far $2 billion has been invested in the development, much of which is structurally completed, but an estimated $500m more is needed for completion and that is expected to take at least another year, meaning the opening would not now be until at least 2011.

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