No NASCAR in New York yet
Published 12:00 am Monday, December 4, 2006
By Jenna Fryer
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — International Speedway Corp. scrapped plans Monday to build a track on Staten Island, stalling NASCAR’s dream to bring a race to the New York area.
“While we are disappointed that we could not complete the speedway development on Staten Island, our enthusiasm for the metropolitan New York market is in no way dampened,” ISC president Lesa France Kennedy said. “We continue to view the region as a prime location for a major motorsports facility.”
France Kennedy heads ISC, the publicly traded sister company of NASCAR — which was founded by her grandfather and currently chaired by her brother, Brian France
Both companies badly want to expand NASCAR into the New York metropolitan area, and moved toward that goal in 2004 when a subsidiary of ISC paid about $100 million for a 440-acre former oil tank farm on Staten Island. The company later bought another 236 acres to gain the necessary land for a race track.
The goal was to build a 0.8-mile state-of-the-art track that would have accommodated 80,000 fans and had the New York City skyline as its backdrop.
But the proposal has been met by severe resistance, including a a hotly contested April public meeting in which tempers reached dangerous levels — forcing police to end the meeting over safety concerns.
Residents complained of traffic tie-ups and argued that the two major roads leading into the property would likely need major renovations to handle the increased loads.
Environmental concerns were also cited by opponents of the plan.
ISC’s decision to call off the plan was immediately trumpeted as a “monumental victory for the people of Staten Island,” by New York City Council Minority Leader James S. Oddo.
“For months, many a Staten Islander thought this project was a ‘done deal,’ ” Oddo said. “In the end, the interests of Staten Islanders as expressed in an earnest and unwavering fashion … prevailed.
“After all was said and done, NASCAR was simply an inappropriate fit for S.I.”
ISC cited an “inability to secure the critical local political support that is necessary to secure the required land-use change approvals” in ending the Staten Island project. In all, the company said spent about $150 million on the project:
* $123 million for land and related improvements.
* $11 million for costs related to the development of the speedway.
* $16 million for capitalized interest and property taxes.
ISC said it may now sell the land, which it believes will be worth more than $100 million and described as the largest undeveloped acreage in the five boroughs of New York City.