Developer Bilbo exits Mattel park development in Arizona, presses on with $539M Kansas City plan

Article originally posted on Phoenix Business Journal on August 21, 2026

The developer behind the long-delayed Mattel Adventure Park in Arizona appears to have stepped away from the West Valley project but continues to advance a similar development in the Kansas City metro area.

Rian Kirkman, senior vice president of marketing for VAI Resort, confirmed in an email that VAI Resort now is the developer, owner and operator of the under-construction Mattel Adventure Park in Glendale. Glen Bilbo, CEO of Epic Resort Destinations, previously led the project. VAI did not confirm when Bilbo walked away.

Bilbo has been associated with a number of entertainment projects over a decades-long career — departing several of those developments before they were ever completed. That list incudes the Western-style Frontier Town theme park proposed in Branson, Missouri; the Belle Island Village development in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and the Blue Collar Country development in Foley, Alabama, which was once tied to comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, that never came to fruition.

VAI Resort has weathered an extended development timeline, initially being spearheaded by Bilbo as far back as 2019 under the name Crystal Lagoons Island Resort. The project was set to be completed before Glendale hosted the 2023 Super Bowl played in Glendale, but progress has been delayed due to myriad legal hurdles and an ever-expanding project scope under VAI Resort’s new ownership group, helmed by the leaders of civil construction firm Fisher Industries.

Once complete, the project will feature 1,100 hotel rooms across multiple towers, 11 restaurants, an 11,000-seat amphitheater, large pool area, conference center and the Mattel Adventure Park with roller coasters and other attractions.

The project is currently estimated to cost $1.2 billion. Kirkman told the Business Journal on Aug. 20 that the resort is set to make an “important announcement” in the fourth quarter.

Four years after it was originally planned to open, VAI Resort still does not have an official opening date; Kirkman reiterated that the developers will announce a date 9 to 12 months before the resort debuts.

“We’re exploring the possibility of opening all at once, or a phased opening,” Kirkman said. “We’re really excited about what this going to bring to Glendale.”

More details on Mattel Adventure Park Kansas City

Emails sent to Epic Resort’s general inquiry address bounced back as undeliverable. Epic spokesperson Jenn Joseph did not respond to an inquiry about Bilbo’s involvement with the Arizona development.

However, Bilbo appears to still be pursuing plans for a Mattel park in Bonner Springs, Kansas, as the anchor of a $539 million mixed-use entertainment district called Destination KCK.

“Glen Bilbo, CEO of Destination KCK, is leading the development and expansion of the Kansas City, Kansas destination, a major new entertainment and tourism district anchored by Mattel Adventure Park Kansas City,” Joseph wrote in an email statement to the Kansas City Business Journal. “His focus is on bringing Destination KCK to life as a dynamic, family-focused destination featuring immersive entertainment, attractions and experiences designed to draw visitors from across the region and beyond.”

Epic envisions the 180-acre Destination KCK at the southwest corner of 118th Street and State Avenue. The waterfront resort-style district would feature an indoor rainforest attraction, a year-round Christmas village, RV park, multiple hotels and retail spaces centered around a 10-acre lake.

The proposed $157 million Mattel Adventure Park would offer “larger than life” toy-themed attractions, including Barbie’s Beach House, a Magic 8 Ball-themed mini-golf course and Hot Wheels-branded roller coasters.

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