Planning staff recommends approval of Woodlands’ permit

Woodlands scheduled on Monday at Planning Commission

The Unified Government Planning Department staff has recommended approval of The Woodlands special use permit to redevelop and operate the horse racetrack with slot machines.

The Woodlands horse track at 9700 Leavenworth Road is scheduled before the Kansas City, Kan., Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, at City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

According to the planning agenda, the staff is recommending approval if all the staff’s comments and suggestions in the staff report are followed.

The planning staff stated in the agenda document that it was concerned the existing facilities do not project the high quality image they expect, and before opening, The Woodlands should apply for and receive approval of a final plan review detailing exterior renovations or plans for a new facility.

The Woodlands had stated in its application that it plans to leave the horse racing facility as is in the site plan, and it is still considering its decision on whether the main grandstand would be razed and rebuilt, or if it would be rehabilitated through a combination of remediation and new construction.

According to The Woodlands’ application, the new or remediated facilities would be 85,000 to 100,000 square feet. The building would be state-of-the-art in design and operating function, allowing for horse racing operations and also electronic gaming machines and a planned destination theme-based entertainment venue, according to the application. The application just talked about reopening the horse facility, and did not mention the dog facility.

There are other items listed by the staff in the permit application, such as a tornado siren to be placed at The Woodlands.

The staff stated in the agenda that the neighborhood meeting Feb. 27 at Piper Middle School indicated wide acceptance of The Woodlands’ proposal. According to the agenda, there may be a small number of neighbors opposed, along with opposition from Hollywood Casino.

The Woodlands’ reopening could be the biggest thing to hit Leavenworth Road since the horse and dog racetrack originally opened in 1989. The Woodlands was closed in 2008. The Woodlands was bought in 2015 by Phil Ruffin, a Las Vegas casino owner.

The Woodlands’ reopening has received some support from area residents, including some in the Leavenworth Road Association. Lou Braswell, executive director of the association, said nine out of 11 members of the group’s board of directors have voted to support The Woodlands reopening.

Braswell remarked that it was strange that the local government said in past years it needed money, while the building was sitting there empty for years, paying only real estate taxes when it could have been paying sales taxes.

Braswell said some Unified Government commissioners are not saying whether they will support the reopening of The Woodlands. The UG Commission and the UG Planning Commission, in a recent joint meeting, were advised by the UG’s attorneys not to take a public stand on the planning issues before they voted on them.

The Woodlands’ reopening with slots has been opposed by Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which is around 4 or 5 miles from the horse track.

A group called Protect the Partnership has sent out postcards to residents opposing the Woodlands’ special use permit, stating that The Woodlands has not signed a development agreement with the local government as the casino did.

The postcard goes on to state that 50 or more jobs at the casino could be in jeopardy, along with annual contributions to the local governments, wages, and $100 million in payments to the state’s casinos. The casino currently employs about 700 people, according to the group. The casinos paid the state a $25 million privilege fee giving them exclusive rights. Casinos had to make a commitment to spend $250 million, which includes a $25 million privilege fee, to open a casino. Opponents say if the racetracks reopen with slots, the casinos may try to get their millions in fees back from the state.

Studies done at the time the Hollywood Casino was approved stated that the casino could expect less business if slots went in at The Woodlands.

A change to increase the amount of gaming revenue from slots that the racetrack owners can keep, bringing it to the same amount as the casinos, has not been approved by the Kansas Legislature. That issue was a major reason for the closure of The Woodlands. A bill passed the Kansas Senate in 2015, but not the Kansas House.

Under the current law, The Woodlands could reopen if it was willing to give the state 40 percent of the slots revenues. The proposed bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, lowers the state’s take to 22 percent of the slots revenue. The racetrack operator would receive 40 percent of the slots revenue under current law, and 64.5 percent of the slots revenue during the first two years under the proposed bill. After that, the racetrack operators would get 60.5 percent.

To see earlier stories on The Woodlands, visit
https://wyandotteonline.com/woodlands-expected-to-go-before-planning-commission-in-april/
https://wyandotteonline.com/the-woodlands-seeks-support-to-reopen-pari-mutuel-track/

To view the Planning Commission agenda, visit http://www.wycokck.org/InternetDept.aspx?id=42782.

Protect the Partnership’s website is at http://protectthepartnership.org/.