DETROIT PROPOSED TRACK NEWS/RUMORS
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- New Detroit Track? A master plan detailing a massive restoration of an eight-mile stretch of the Rouge River includes a proposal for a 1.5-mile Detroit Motor Speedway on the site of a former racetrack along the Detroit River. The plan calls for an oval track, grandstands for more than 60,000 visitors, support facilities for racing crews, staging areas and parking. The vacant site, owned by the city of Detroit, is at the junction of the Detroit and Rouge rivers. Mayor Dennis Archer said he would support the track if neighboring residents and businesses embraced the project. Last year, a racetrack proposal at the Michigan State Fairgrounds at Eight Mile and Woodward met with stiff resistance from homeowners in nearby Palmer Woods. The residents cited noise and traffic as the biggest objections. The developer for the project, theater owner Joe Nederlander, said he is still studying plans for the racetrack. He is not involved in the Rouge River track proposal.(see full story and layout of track at the Detroit News)(3-1-2001)
- Detroit Speedway Defeated: Developer Joe Nederlander on Tuesday proposed a domed golf range at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in hopes that it will win support from residents who defeated his plan for a racetrack. A day after conceding defeat of the 1-mile speedway intended to become home to the (CART) Grand Prix in 2002, Nederlander offered the driving range as an alternative attraction. It would salvage a portion of a proposed $200-million venture at the fairgrounds, he said, and would fulfill his 50-year lease of the property(Detroit Free Press) AND Even if developers drop plans to put a racetrack at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, the city plans to continue a legal assault to block other parts of the project over noise issues. Along with the racetrack, plans for an outdoor concert hall will have to be eliminated before the city will drop a lawsuit challenging the project, city officials said. Developer Joseph Nederlander's decision to kill his racetrack plans comes 18 months after his announcement of a $200-million project at the fairgrounds(Detroit News)(8-16-2000)
AND A controversial plan to build a racetrack at the Michigan State Fairgrounds is dead for a second time because of neighborhood opposition. Developer Joe Nederlander said Monday that plans for a track to host the Grand Prix are finished because of a lawsuit filed by opponents. (full story at the Detroit News, I sort of posted these backwards, but oh well)(8-17-2000)
- Sound Test at Detroit: State Fair Development, L.L.C. conducted a sound test on Saturday, July 15th, for the multi-purpose, one-mile oval automobile track that will be constructed at the Fairgrounds Park. The test took place at 10:00a.m. and was conducted by Gordon L. Bricken of Santa Ana, Calif. based Gordon Bricken and associates, using a field of over 20 unrestricted cars. With more then 25 years of experience with major racing projects involving acoustical and vibration system analyses and experimentation, Bricken is considered the best auto racing acoustical and energy engineer in the country. In April, the State Fair Development, L.L.C. announced a project designed to enhance the Michigan State Fairgrounds and transform it into an entertainment mecca, that would encompass several venues, including a multi-purpose, one-mile oval automobile track.(Detroit Speedway Site)(7-18-2000)
- Detroit Noise Test UPDATE and a Lawsuit: On Saturday, July 15 at 10:30am, the track is conducting a noise test for a new 1-mile speedway is being planned for the Michigan State Fair Grounds. They need at least 24 race cars without mufflers and will take a decibel reading in the neighborhood before firing up the engines and one after. A similar test was conducted 5 weeks ago and there was no difference in the readings. However, some of the neighbors said it was not a valid test(Detroit Speedway Site)(7-5-2000)
UPDATE: The city of Detroit, along with Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge(MI), all filed a lawsuit looking to block a race track that is being proposed to be built at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Detroit mayor Dennis Archer has been an opponent of the proposed track ever since the idea was first raised(SpeedVision)(7-7-2000)
- Detroit Track News: A state plan to put an automobile racetrack at the Michigan State Fairgrounds will begin this month, despite strong protests from Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer. State Fair Executive Director John Hertel rejected Archer's demand Saturday to put off the project. The mayor, who spoke at the Detroit Regional Chamber Policy Conference, said the noise from a racetrack would irritate neighbors of the fairgrounds and he could not support the project unless they supported it. Archer used to live in Palmer Woods, which is near the fairgrounds at Eight Mile and Woodward. Demolition of the grandstands begins later this month, and auto racing will begin in 2002, Hertel said(Detroit News)(6-5-2000)
- Detroit News: Critics of a plan to build a high-speed racetrack at the Michigan State Fairgrounds hope a government study will demonstrate how the project could destroy the peace and quiet of surrounding neighborhoods. The Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, known as SEMCOG, Wednesday agreed to study the impact of a $200-million plan by the Nederlander Group to build a one-mile oval track at the fairgrounds near Eight Mile and Woodward. City councils in Detroit and Ferndale, along with nearby residents, asked for the independent study(Detroit News)(6-2-2000)
- Detroit Track UPDATE: Demolition of the derelict grandstand at the Michigan State Fairgrounds racetrack will begin early next month. General Manager John Hertel also held noise tests. Four Detroit TV stations and WJR-AM radio sent reporters and cameras. Hertel hired a noise measurement expert who tests cars for Detroit auto firms. The media reps listened to the noise at ground zero (in front of the rickety, condemned grandstand) and then went into Palmer Woods and surrounding neighborhoods to seek out reaction from residents west of Woodward Avenue. According to taped interviews, not even homeowners closest to Woodward heard the engines revving. One homeowner said he didn't believe that the tests had been conducted. Hertel says he ordered the noise checks on a Saturday afternoon because he wanted to catch residents outdoors, doing yard work or relaxing. See the full story at the Detroit News(5-14-2000)
UPDATE: a site with more info, including images of the proposed track at www.fairgroundspark.com(5-15-2000)
- Detroit Track? UPDATE: A Michigan State Fair advisory board gave approval Monday for the Nederlander Entertainment Group to go forward with an $80-million development plan for the state fairgrounds that includes a race track, a move that has already drawn the opposition of nearby residents(Detroit News)(4-12-2000)
UPDATE: Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer vowed Saturday to block the construction of a racetrack at the state fairgrounds, saying the facility would devastate the quality of life of residents near it(Detroit News)(4-17-2000)