After having held onto it since the 1900s, the city of Minneapolis is looking to sell Weber Park for over $1.5 million. The 15-acre plot of land is a simple woody park, dotted with footpaths for dog walkers and large oaks for picnics. However, if Minneapolis fails to find a buyer, the land may to be turned into real estate, and the park’s charm may be lost.

Located on the border of St. Louis Park and Edina, with each city sharing parts of the plot, Weber Park officially belongs to the city of Minneapolis. It was purchased in 1920 to become part of Minneapolis’s water system, which uses the small pumping station situated in the park. However, with the pumping stations no longer a need, Minneapolis hopes to sell the land to either Edina or St. Louis Park for the sum of $1.5 million. They have already sent a letter to the Mayors of both cities, giving them until the end of the month to make an offer on the land.

If neither St. Louis Park nor Edina show an interest in acquiring the park, Minneapolis will open up the market to over neighboring cities as a real estate plot for an even larger sum of money. This means that the woodsy area will be converted into single-family luxury homes.

However, enthusiasm over the land is not in Minneapolis’s favor, and neighboring municipalities fail to see the high value the city has placed on it. Due to its low-lying, swampy, and steep topography, Weber Park is not an ideal place for house development. Cities are also factoring in liability issues, and many are not willing to risk a large sum of money for a possibly unsafe real estate plot.