Suburb approves purchase of farmland for World Fair bid; 59-acre site near Mall of America
Published 7:39 am Thursday, September 21, 2017
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A farm near the Mall of America could become the site of a World’s Fair event.
Bloomington city officials voted Tuesday to buy the Kelley Farm property for $32 million to be a possible site for Expo 2023.
The Star Tribune reports the 59-acre property sits between the mall and the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
The farm has been owned by the same family since 1932, but the family decided in 2015 to put the land up for sale for possible development.
Minnesota is one of three finalists to host the World’s Fair event. The other finalists are in Argentina and Poland. The winning city will be chosen in November.
Organizers say the three-month event would draw 150,000 visitors per day and have an economic impact of $4 billion.
