Thoroughbreds set to run
State grants Post It Stables a license for Pinnacle Race Course near Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Steve Pardo and Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News
HURON TOWNSHIP -- A $142 million plan to return thoroughbred racing to Michigan has cleared the final hurdle.
The Michigan Racing Commission on Wednesday issued a license to Post It Stables Inc. of Jackson to operate the Pinnacle Race Course. Preliminary work already has begun near Interstate 275 and Eureka Road. Racing and para-mutual betting should begin July 18.
When it does, it will mark a return to thoroughbred racing in a state steeped in equestrian tradition. While tracks in Hazel Park and Northville offer harness racing, Michigan has been without a thoroughbred track since Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon closed in November. It hasn't been in Metro Detroit since the Detroit Race Course in Livonia closed in 1998.
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<!--endclickprintexclude-->"We're excited," said Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. "This is a positive. Michiganders are tired of hearing bad news, and this is something they can be proud of."
Michigan banker Jerry Campbell and his wife, Lisa, run Post It Stables, which would own and operate the track. Wayne County owns the land, which is part of 1,300 acres near Detroit Metropolitan Airport that the county has assembled over the years to spur business development.
"Our goal is to preserve and improve thoroughbred racing in Michigan," Jerry Campbell said. "It's been a tough go in the state "
The county would sell the land for $1 if developers follow through on promises to create 1,100 jobs within six years. If they don't, they'll have to pay $50,000 an acre or $16 million, said Vanessa Denha-Garmo, a county spokeswoman.
License approval was something of a formality.
The license was made available when Magna Entertainment Corp. of Ontario spiked plans last year for a similar thoroughbred track and entertainment complex nearby.
Magna also owned Great Lakes Downs. Money woes with its parent company -- Magna International, Canada's largest auto parts company -- led it to close that track and torpedo plans for a "Las Vegas style" resort near the airport.
It was the latest in a series of glittery plans that failed to reach fruition near the airport, including proposals for casinos, resorts and industrial parks.
Campbell's plan would reverse the trend.
Campbell, the former chairman of Citizens Republic Bancorp, has planned a "Michigan Derby" next year at the course and promised to pay the winner a $5 million bonus if the horse also wins the Kentucky Derby.
Plans call for the project to be built in three phases. A patio and grandstand are set to be built this year along with a corporate pavilion. Other phases include a permanent grandstand, restaurants and retail. Retail plans won't come in the first phase of the project. Instead, a feasibility study will determine what offerings the public wants.
cant wait to see you all out there..................welcome back drc ...................:nohead:
State grants Post It Stables a license for Pinnacle Race Course near Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Steve Pardo and Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News
HURON TOWNSHIP -- A $142 million plan to return thoroughbred racing to Michigan has cleared the final hurdle.
The Michigan Racing Commission on Wednesday issued a license to Post It Stables Inc. of Jackson to operate the Pinnacle Race Course. Preliminary work already has begun near Interstate 275 and Eureka Road. Racing and para-mutual betting should begin July 18.
When it does, it will mark a return to thoroughbred racing in a state steeped in equestrian tradition. While tracks in Hazel Park and Northville offer harness racing, Michigan has been without a thoroughbred track since Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon closed in November. It hasn't been in Metro Detroit since the Detroit Race Course in Livonia closed in 1998.
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<!--endclickprintexclude-->"We're excited," said Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. "This is a positive. Michiganders are tired of hearing bad news, and this is something they can be proud of."
Michigan banker Jerry Campbell and his wife, Lisa, run Post It Stables, which would own and operate the track. Wayne County owns the land, which is part of 1,300 acres near Detroit Metropolitan Airport that the county has assembled over the years to spur business development.
"Our goal is to preserve and improve thoroughbred racing in Michigan," Jerry Campbell said. "It's been a tough go in the state "
The county would sell the land for $1 if developers follow through on promises to create 1,100 jobs within six years. If they don't, they'll have to pay $50,000 an acre or $16 million, said Vanessa Denha-Garmo, a county spokeswoman.
License approval was something of a formality.
The license was made available when Magna Entertainment Corp. of Ontario spiked plans last year for a similar thoroughbred track and entertainment complex nearby.
Magna also owned Great Lakes Downs. Money woes with its parent company -- Magna International, Canada's largest auto parts company -- led it to close that track and torpedo plans for a "Las Vegas style" resort near the airport.
It was the latest in a series of glittery plans that failed to reach fruition near the airport, including proposals for casinos, resorts and industrial parks.
Campbell's plan would reverse the trend.
Campbell, the former chairman of Citizens Republic Bancorp, has planned a "Michigan Derby" next year at the course and promised to pay the winner a $5 million bonus if the horse also wins the Kentucky Derby.
Plans call for the project to be built in three phases. A patio and grandstand are set to be built this year along with a corporate pavilion. Other phases include a permanent grandstand, restaurants and retail. Retail plans won't come in the first phase of the project. Instead, a feasibility study will determine what offerings the public wants.
cant wait to see you all out there..................welcome back drc ...................:nohead:
arty:
