Stalled Hollister water park ‘not dead,’ says city official 

A large-scale water resort by a Florida-based developer is still in the works in Hollister, according to a city official. 

Hollister City Administrator Rick Ziegenfuss told Springfield Business Journal this week that although progress is not observable on the 68-acre construction site east of U.S. Route 65, the project is moving forward. 

“The general thing is, the water park is not dead,” he said. 

The principal and co-founder of Orlando, Florida, developer Imagine Resorts & Hotels, Craig Stark, told SBJ in an August 2024 interview to expect an announcement in October. That month, and two and a half more, have come and gone. Stark said at the time, “There’s a lot of neat stuff going on, but we can’t let it out of the bag yet.” 

Stark did not respond to emails asking for the tardy announcement or any other updates about the project’s timeline. 

Ziegenfuss, however, offered context. 

“We had a large meeting in October, and it was actual, real progress,” he said. “From there, people were tasked, and the next milestone may be coming here in a little bit.” 

But Ziegenfuss said he understands that many have questions about the planned 575,000-square-foot resort and indoor water park, first announced in July 2020 and originally slated for an opening in 2023. 

SBJ reported in April 2022 that the revised completion target was mid-2024, and a headline on Aug. 16, 2024, declared, “Officials say Hollister resort still in the works.” 

“We have tried here at the city to lower its visibility – lower its expectations,” said Ziegenfuss. “These things take so long with so many false starts. People get their hopes up.” 

He added that the city had hoped to wait to provide an update until there is a larger announcement to make. 

Ziegenfuss said the city and Imagine officials continue to talk, but he noted he is concerned about his point of contact, who lives in the area of California fires. 

“I’m hoping they’re all right,” he said. 

The project cost was estimated at $300 million at its pre-COVID-19 announcement, and that figure was upped to $400 million by officials in SBJ’s August 2024 reporting. 

Ziegenfuss said a lot is going on in the background – locally, nationally and even internationally. 

“When you’re talking these kinds of numbers, it takes a lot of different people,” he said. “Weird things happen, like presidential elections, that make friends around the world either nervous or happy. That seems remote on the evening news, but it really plays into these kinds of things.” 

Imagine Resorts & Hotels has already invested $8 million in infrastructure work, according to past SBJ reporting. 

The original announcement projected 450 new jobs and a 100,000-square-foot water park, 30,000 square feet of convention space, six to eight restaurants and 450 guest rooms and cabins.