Massachusetts: Sturbridge voters say no to proposed racetrack, potential sportsbook

Voters in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, have said “no” to a proposed $25 million horse racetrack and equine center in a Special Town Meeting held last Thursday night. 

In order for the project to move forward, three zoning changes were needed to approve an agriculture and zoning overlay district, reports Telegram & Gazette. A vote on the first measure to establish regulations for the district was defeated 449-325, failing to secure the necessary two-thirds majority. It made votes on the other zoning changes moot.

Karen Davis, lawyer for businessman Armand Janjigian, the main backer of the project, said she was “very disappointed” with the voting outcome. "I really thought we were bringing a project to Sturbridge that had so many benefits and opportunities for people here," Davis said. "A lot of amenities for the town, and the town chose to walk away from.”

The lawyer attributed the negative voting results to “cynicism”. According to Davis, town residents saw “something too good to be true,” and thus assumed it had to be bad in some way. “They didn't believe this is possibly as good as it is."

Following the defeat, Davis said Janjigian is now assessing his options, which could imply giving the Sturbridge project another try.

“There were a lot of different concerns,” Sturbridge Town Administrator Jeff Bridges said, according to the previously cited news source. “It was a very complex issue, a very big issue. Lots of pros and lots of cons. At the end of the day, the town decided to vote no on zoning overlay.”

Among the concerns cited by Bridges, voters felt uncertain about the overlay district, commitments to the town by racetrack operators, traffic and the ethical treatment of horses.

The proposed Sturbridge Agricultural and Equestrian Center would have brought about $1 million annually in revenue to the town, Telegram & Gazette previously reported. Furthermore, Janjigian claimed the project would have led to the creation of 100 jobs for area residents.

The equestrian center would have been located on 223 acres on the east side of Interstate 84, and called for a 1-mile dirt track and a ⅞ mile turf track. Sports betting, both retail and online, were proposed as part of the project. However, this would have required the state of Massachusetts to legalize it.

Other amenities were set to include restaurants, a community center, athletic fields, walking trails and conference space. According to Janjigian, the center counted with support from both the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association.