Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993 TAG: 9305060240
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium
Thomas H. Meeker, Churchill Downs' president, also will visit sites in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth that are under consideration for a track, officials confirmed.
"We haven't closed a deal," said Jeff Gregson, Churchill Downs' Virginia representative. "We haven't done a handshake with the property owners. We haven't done a handshake with the city. There's a lot of details that still need to be worked out."
But several principals in the search said Churchill Downs has narrowed its architectural and engineering work to two sites.
One is Taylor Farm in Virginia Beach, a family-owned, 1,800-acre parcel. The other is Portsmouth's Fairwood Homes, a 266-acre site that contains the city's largest privately owned low-income community.
Meeker acknowledged that Taylor Farm is under consideration, but he said it was just "one of three or four" possible sites.
A decision is expected soon after Churchill Downs officials meet Friday with Virginia Racing Associates, an investment group headed by Franklin breeder William M. Camp Jr., former state Sen. Elmon Gray of Sussex County and William E. Miller, former president of Maryland's Rosecroft Raceway.
Both sides bring strong credentials. Churchill Downs has name recognition and management expertise, while Virginia Racing Associates has money and clout in Virginia circles.
"They need us as much as we need them," said John T. Mamoudis, a coordinator for the Virginia group.
Camp said his group would go along with Churchill Downs' decision on a site, but he added, "I prefer to put it in Portsmouth."
He said the Portsmouth site is closer to the heart of the region's population base.
But Churchill Downs officials are believed to favor the Virginia Beach location because the city is a major tourist attraction and is the largest city in Virginia.
Negotiations are continuing with the owners of Fairwood Homes in Portsmouth.
James H. Epperson, general manager of the rental complex, said a price has been informally negotiated on two proposals to buy the property. One would encompass a portion of the Fairwood Homes site and an abutting city-owned golf course. The alternative would include only the housing complex.
Epperson declined to reveal the price, but confirmed that it was not far from the property's value, assessed at about $12 million.
Portsmouth officials have pledged to take responsibility for relocating Fairwood Homes residents who would be displaced if the area is selected for the track.
"People won't be left homeless," said City Manager V. Wayne Orton.
But many of the area's approximately 5,000 residents, some elderly and living on fixed incomes, have expressed concern about plans for a track.
"It would hurt a lot of people" to move, said Mary G. Trusty, president of the Fairwood Homes Civic League. "Some of them would make it, but a lot of them wouldn't."
by CNB