Legoland is expected to purchase land in Goshen to site its third mega theme park in North America, according to multiple state and local sources.

Orange County has been wooing the amusement park for months after Legoland scrapped plans in October to build in Haverstraw in Rockland County. And New York has given Legoland about $4 million in grants as an incentive to remain in the state rather than go to northern New Jersey, an area company executives had also been considering.

Representatives of Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates Legoland, visited Orange County several times over the winter but didn't commit to a site. In early May, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said Legoland was negotiating sale prices with a handful of landowners.

The site of the proposed Legoland includes a cluster of adjacent lots along Harriman Drive, off exit 125 on Route 17, sources confirmed.

County officials have said a theme park in Orange County would create about 1,000 jobs and would bring in taxes and opportunities for restaurants and small businesses. Capital investment in the project would run hundreds of millions of dollars, according to economic development experts. Legoland's investment in Haverstraw was reported to be $250 million.

Neuhaus declined to comment on the Goshen pick on Wednesday.

"I've been working with Legoland for months to try to bring them to Orange County,” he said in an email. “If they choose to come here, it would be good for them and great for us."

Several sources said Legoland had finalized its decision but all parties to the deal would wait for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make a formal announcement.

"The prospect of Legoland coming to the region would be a huge win for the people of the Assembly district I represent," Assemblyman James Skoufis, who represents the 99th Assembly district where Goshen is located, said in an email. "I've been a strong supporter of state incentives to bring the park to our area because it would create hundreds of local jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity."

Legoland had been focusing on southern and eastern Orange County because of its proximity to New York City. Ideal properties were 150 to 200 relatively flat acres that were close to highways.

Julie Estrada, a Legoland spokeswoman, said the company would not have comment for some time.

Legoland theme parks, based on the popular plastic construction toy, are located in California and Florida. International Legoland parks locations are in Denmark, England, Germany, Malaysia and Dubai.

If the Legoland deal is sealed, it would mirror the one in Florida, which includes a water park and a hotel. The park in Orlando is the largest Legoland in the world, according to the company website.

“It would be a game changer for us,” said Susan Hawvermale, director of the county tourism department. “Because having an internationally known brand as a destination in the county would really up our game.”

heasley@th-record.com