If you are not busy on Monday evening, you can check out the action at the 7 p.m. Anne Arundel County Council Hearing. Buses will be arriving from Laurel Park at the Calvert Street locations loaded with horsemen and protestors ready to thwart the the attempts to zone for slots next to Arundel Mills.
According to Maryland Horse Council president Steuart Pittman and representatives of the Maryland Jockey Club, if slots go to Arundel Mills, Laurel Park’s value will immediately plummet, resulting in fewer possible buyers for the tracks at the upcoming bankruptcy auction. If there are no buyers for the track, because the track can’t get slots, then the theory is that the land will have no value to anyone but a housing developer. If zoning is denied for Arundel Mills slots on Monday, the Jockey Club will submit a proposal for slots at Laurel, it’s value will increase, and the track will be given a new future with new ownership.
The vote is projected to be a close one.
If you are interested in spectating, you can watch the meeting. If you are interested in supporting the Jockey Club’s position, click here for information on what you can do.
