Preliminary EXPO Idaho survey results: Keep the fair

Ada County announced preliminary results from its public survey about the fate of EXPO Idaho on June 23, reporting that most of the respondents to date would like to keep the Western Idaho Fair at its current location. In addition, county residents were in favor of expanding the natural park and Greenbelt spaces at the property.

The county commissioners posted their EXPO Idaho Survey on May 6 on the splash page of the county’s website. The survey is still live and will continue online to garner more responses until September 1. The announcement of the results so far came one day before the nation’s leading land-use and planning organization, the Urban Land Institute, presented its study on the three suggestions for the fate of the 270-acre property formulated by the year-long EXPO Idaho citizen’s advisory committee and submitted in February 2021.

The citizens’ advisory committee presented three non-exclusive options to the Ada County Commissioners, which can function as standalone uses or be combined into a mix of uses for the site. Thee options were facilities for agriculture and outdoor education, sports and recreation and a commerce-centered mixed-use town center.

The survey asked which options Ada County residents preferred. The preliminary results just released showed that 52% favored an expanded Greenbelt, 51% wanted more natural spaces, 25% preferred more sports facilities and the sports stadium uses and 32% preferred an agricultural heritage and outdoor education park.

People also were forward in their opinions that the Western Idaho Fair and EXPO Idaho are important and valued uses for the property: 86% opined that these uses for the county’s property along the Boise River next to Garden City should stay at their current location.

Ada County will release the complete survey results on September 3, after the survey closes on September 1.