January 19, 2000
Buena Park, CA -- Knott's Berry Farm received final approval from the Buena Park Planning Commission to move ahead with plans to build Soak City, USA, a new 13-acre themed water park.
The new water park located at the corner of Beach Blvd. and Crescent will feature 21 rides and attractions, including a wave pool, lazy river and 16 major water slides. The park will be themed to popular California surfing locations, with park attractions carrying names such as Malibu Pipeline Plunge and Laguna Storm Watch Tower.
The commission's final vote Tuesday night was 6-0 in favor of the park, with one abstention. Local residents continued to raise objects at the meeting, citing increased traffic and noise as their primary concerns.
Knott's officials expect that the park will be ready to open in mid-June, approximately two weeks later than the original planned Memorial Day opening.
Construction on the new park is expected to begin in the coming weeks. Knott's began the initial phases of the project last fall when they cleared the site, which was formerly a parking lot.
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