Maybe? Maybe it’s just cost cutting and nothing more. Either way it’s pretty clear that attendance at, for example, SFGAdv is way down if even Saturdays have light crowds, as I’ve seen reported. I’m not sure that’s what they really wanted.
News Eleven Rides & Two Areas "Closed For Season" Without Notice
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
sixflagsamerica_fans on instagram is saying the rumors are that these areas will stay closed next season. Not sure if true.
Yeah I’m not renewing my six flags pass if the company is taking the opinion that multiple entire sections of the parks should be closed
Sfafans on FB is saying only for the end of season.
The other thing with these closures is that they tend to be fairly hard hitting for the young kids demographic. I would think that would be a key clientele this time of year.
Bad thought: isnt Mind Eraser right behind the wave pool, would they even think of taking that area down and expanding the water park?
Badder thought: Real Estate in that area is STUPID expensive and not getting any cheaper, could Six Flags be looking to start sunsetting the park and selling the park for land?
Be funny if it turned out he was a major Cedar Fair shareholder- because that's how he's running things.
They’re trying to move the FBI headquarters down the street to a vacant space that’s been available for years, plus FedEx field will lose the Commanders in a few years. I remember going to Wild World, then Adventure World and finally a few times as SFA…I doubt the land is as valuable as it may seem…plus there’s a bunch of Mega Churches in the area that don’t pay any taxes.
Keep seeing this thrown about, but the "price of land" in the area around SFA I highly doubt as a serious factor to anything they are doing.
Yes average property values everywhere are high, and around DC they are always higher than average, but I think it is worth noting that SFA was very much intentionally placed somewhere that those high DC land prices don't really reach. It was cheaper than surrounding average when they bought it, is still cheaper than surrounding average. Outside of east DC isn't a highly desirable area for a lot of people for many reasons. Pretty much the majority of PG county doesn't see those "DC land prices" until you are right next to the city or up near Moco.
Honestly a huge reason why a lot of the people I know don't go to SFA is the area.
Yes average property values everywhere are high, and around DC they are always higher than average, but I think it is worth noting that SFA was very much intentionally placed somewhere that those high DC land prices don't really reach. It was cheaper than surrounding average when they bought it, is still cheaper than surrounding average. Outside of east DC isn't a highly desirable area for a lot of people for many reasons. Pretty much the majority of PG county doesn't see those "DC land prices" until you are right next to the city or up near Moco.
Honestly a huge reason why a lot of the people I know don't go to SFA is the area.
It looks as if there are plenty of expensive houses around the park.
My point was compared to the other surrounding areas of DC, they are cheaper. Not cheap in general, I said the other areas surrounding DC experience the "DC price hike" whereas east DC doesn't. Here is North/Northwest:
And I will throw in some South/Southwest:
On average, PG county is cheaper than the other near DC options. There is nowhere cheaper to be to consider yourself a DC area theme park without getting a lot further away from the city. Same reason why FedEx field was put in Landover and MGM built that supercenter at the National Harbor to start a gentrification movement. Also, those Eastern regions near DC are really the only places left with large amounts of undeveloped land, yet another reason the prices don't hit as high (if we choose to ignore the ahem, "quality", of the area).
I'm a Montgomery county born, Frederick county raised, Anne Arundel County employed Marylander. I know where the money is and isn't, and Upper Marlboro doesn't convey "look at my watch" like Bethesda does. That isn't to shame those in the area, I just think you are severely underselling the amount of planning that goes into building a park like this if you think land prices are starting to be the issue here. SFA didn't build straight up inside a city like CGA and subject themselves to infinite pressure of land prices and shriveling supply of land. There is plenty of land to be developed in PG county and the county as a whole seems to be trying to catch up with the other DC suburbs. Like every other theme park out there, the land they have now is more valuable than it was when they bought it. That doesn't mean "hurry quick lets sell it", that means you did your job correctly.
I have heard this from a completely separate source who potentially has the ability to know more than us.
With the exception of that one neighborhood in the corner, that looks very cheap to my Florida self. Only place you find stuff below 300k around here is in bad areas/the middle of nowhere.
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It's cheap by DC area standards. Considering the average price of a house in MD is around $400k, with the DC area being the richest area in the country, any house prices near that state average is cheap for DC.
Ok, I did the research. These are TOTAL (all parcels combined) tax-assessed LAND ONLY values for SFA and two other random Six Flags parks:
Based on those numbers, I'd have to agree that SFA doesn't look exceptional in the land-value department.
- Six Flags St. Louis: $6,780,900
- Six Flags America: $7,657,900
- Six Flags New England: $8,968,600
Based on those numbers, I'd have to agree that SFA doesn't look exceptional in the land-value department.
Considering the costs of modifying the land and how challenging PG county can be to work with, I wouldn’t be surprised if the land is worth less than that in any kind of fire sale that doesn’t involve it remaining as an amusement park.
It doesn't help that FedEx field will likely be a vacant parcel in a few years. With that size property available right next to the Beltway, who would want a parcel of similar size that is four miles away from the Beltway?
Largo Town Center is over there too, and that’s been largely a dud in development. SFA being further away from metro makes it of little value beyond its current use.