Lakeville Is Now Being Considered to Host Expo 2031. Here's What That Means

TLDR

• On Sept. 21, the Lakeville City Council voted 5-0 to acknowledge that Lakeville is being considered as host city for Expo 2031 Minnesota USA.
• The six-month World's Fair would run May–October 2031 at the southwest corner of I-35 and County Road 70.
• Organizers call it about a billion-dollar project. They say they won't ask the city for money, but they will ask the state.
• Your first chance to weigh in is an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Lakeville City Hall.

Lakeville might be getting a World's Fair. At the Sept. 21 Lakeville City Council meeting, the council voted 5-0 to acknowledge that Lakeville is being considered as host city for Expo 2031. It would be the first expo of its kind ever held in the U.S. And if you've been following along, Lakeville is a bit of a surprise pick.

Wait, What Is Expo 2031?

Think World's Fair, but built around plants, gardens, and farming. It's officially called an "A1 International Horticultural Exposition." (That's a big name for a world-class garden and plant fair.) The theme is "Human Nature: Where Humanity and Horticulture Meet."

It's licensed through the AIPH, a global group for plant growers. Expo 2031 Minnesota USA is a Minnesota nonprofit. CEO Wendy Meadley said they've been working on this for three years. Up to 80 countries could take part, according to CBS Minnesota.

Here's the twist. Back when we wrote our last Expo 2031 update, Farmington and Hastings were the cities still in the running. Lakeville wasn't part of that conversation. Now Meadley says Expo has "secured the property here in Lakeville."

What Would Actually Get Built?

The site is on the southwest side of I-35 and County Road 70. It has two parts. The permanent "legacy site" is the part Expo says it has secured. That's what would stay after 2031. Expo would lease more land to the west for the six-month fair itself. That's where the five climate zones would go: desert, tropical, temperate, continental, and a "North Star" zone for Minnesota.

Here's what's planned to stay for good:

• USA Pavilion with gardens and what Meadley called a "Bellagio-style fountain." Think of it as Lakeville's version of the Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle, both of which came from World's Fairs.
• About 1,300 parking spaces with solar panels on top.
• A hotel with about 200 rooms.
• An expo hall, basically a mid-size convention center.
• Fields or courts under a dome. The city would help decide what goes there.
• A 1,500-seat amphitheater, about the size of the one at the Minnesota Zoo.
• A "Secret Garden" outdoor wedding and event venue.
• A media studio, a welcome center, and a "future home" exhibit.

What About Traffic?

This will be the big question for a lot of you. Expo expects 45,000 to 85,000 visitors a day during the fair. The permanent parking is sized for after the fair, not during it. Most fair visitors would come by shuttle.

"Everyone in Minnesota knows how great our state fair works," Meadley said. The State Fair moves more than 100,000 people a day, mostly by shuttle. She said Lakeville would still see "a few thousand a day" driving into town.

Who's Paying for It?

The council asked this one directly. Meadley called it "about a billion-dollar project." That's way up from the $434 million budget we reported earlier this year.

She said most of the money will be private. It would come from four places:

• Ticket sales and other things Expo sells
• Sponsors, with levels from $250,000 up to $50 million
• Donations and grants
• Development partners who build and run things on the site

"We're not looking for that from the city," Meadley said. But Expo does need some public money to meet its federal rules. They plan to ask the state of Minnesota, based on jobs and tourism. Expo also plans to seek extra approval from the BIE (the group that oversees World's Fairs) next summer. That would bring in the U.S. State Department and embassies around the world.

What Did the Vote Actually Do?

Not as much as you might think. Meadley was clear that the resolution doesn't approve a master plan, a development deal, or any money. All the usual city reviews still apply: zoning, environment, roads, and budget. Each one will come back to the council later, in public.

What it does do is formally acknowledge that Lakeville is being considered as host city. The city's staff report says it "does not obligate the City in any way." It also OKs a plan to reach out to residents. Council Member Wolter called it "big news for Lakeville" and said "we rose to the top in Dakota County." Council Member Bermel said he's "really curious to see what our community... what they're thinking about this."

And no, nobody promised Taylor Swift. "Taylor, if you're out there, we're open," Meadley said.

The Bottom Line

This is the start, not the finish. Lakeville hasn't committed a dollar or approved a single building. But it's now on the hook to take this seriously and hear from you.

Your first shot is the open house on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Lakeville City Hall council chambers. Expo staff will be there to answer questions. Bring the tough ones: traffic, who pays, and what happens to the land if things change. You can also see how this fits with other big projects on the south end, like the planned I-35 and County Road 50 interchange. For earlier coverage, see KSTP's report on Dakota County being picked and Expo's listing with the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce. And subscribe to the Scoop so you don't miss what's next.