The possible restoration of live racing in New England will be pushed back even longer now that officials in the city of Gardner, Mass., want additional time to examine the proposal of Bay State Racing to develop a new racetrack within city limits to be named Gardner Park.
The matter of rezoning two parcels of land on which a racetrack might be built was taken up by the planning board at its most recent meeting Aug. 22. In a unanimous vote, planning board members decided to wait before they issue any recommendation to the city council regarding a change to the status of the current zoning at the proposed site. Instead, the board decided that in order to move forward on the matter they will require more information from the town’s city solicitor and legal department.
The next step in the process is for the planning board to reconvene Sept. 19. The two parcels of land in question would have to be rezoned from residential to commercial to allow any further consideration of the Bay State Racing proposal.
The project, which is supported by the New England affiliate of the HBPA, calls for boutique meets on two or three weekends per year on a one-mile track and an average daily purse distribution of $500,000 to start. Initially, it was hoped that live racing could be conducted in 2024 but that is unrealistic. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission deadline for submission of an application for live racing dates is Oct. 1.
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