Now this is a good idea that’s taken too long to happen. City lawmakers are asking voters this fall to repeal one the greatest shams ever pulled over on Aurora residents: a ban on racetrack incentives.
For most Aurora residents, the issue is new and perplexing. For those who remember back to 1999 when carpetbaggers and deep-pocket Colorado Springs businessmen hoodwinked the electorate, it’s still a sore spot.
Back in the late 1990s, Aurora’s endless supply of land and water caught the eye of international racing officials, eager to get a part of the growing Front Range market. At the time, car racing seemed to have no limit in how many TV and racetrack viewers the industry could attract. Metro Denver was ripe for expansion, and Aurora was right where it wanted to be to lure national raceway complex to the metroplex, on the east side of Aurora. Since NASCAR — the gold standard of raceway projects — always came with hands out for incentives, the city started looking at what it might hand over if a deal got close.
At the same time, out-of-state and regional interests had opened the Pikes Peak International Raceway miles south of Colorado Springs. It was an ill-conceived, ill-timed and marginal racetrack project doomed to fail long before Aurora started its own engines in 1999.
In one of the most unscrupulous, spurious political stunts in Colorado history, owners of PPIR sought out two “local residents” to create a ballot initiative that would forbid Aurora from providing tax incentives or any “financial” assistance to any racing industry projects. Even the locals tabbed for the dirty work were carpetbaggers from outside of city limits. Worse, the PPIR owners bankrolled a huge campaign to persuade off-year Aurora voters to keep from spending tax money on racetracks. It was a sham that made no sense on several levels, but unobservant voters fell victim to the ploy as critics were wildly outspent by Colorado Springs interests.
The ban passed, which is the only such ban on any kind of industry or tax incentives in Aurora. After that, the economy faltered, NASCAR expansions slowed, and the lonely Colorado Springs racetrack became a nearly-vacant oddity while the world moved on.
Since then, the national economy, and especially the Colorado economy has rebounded. The Aurora-Denver metro area is booming and is now one of the most desirable places to live in the country. If anyplace in the United States is ripe again for an international speedway and entertainment complex, similar to the one in Kansas City, it’s Aurora and Denver.
So Aurora voters will be offered a chance with ballot question 2J to at long last clear the track if something interesting comes our way. Local officials swear, promise and underscore that neither NASCAR nor any other racing system has contacted anyone about expansion or Aurora.
But it only makes sense to take this onerous legacy from malevolent carpetbaggers off the city law books. While we’re rarely fans of providing financial incentives to for-profit businesses, the merits of each request and deal need to be weighed on their own. This by no means is a blank check to racetrack owners, and until everyone has time to scrutinize the ballot language, this isn’t an endorsement of the measure. But it’s impossible to argue that the anti-racetrack language still part of Aurora’s charter code does anything but cause problems as long as it remains.
I’m leaning towards a no vote in Nov on 2J myself.
really…..why is it we need a noisy, obnoxious, giant crowd, mess up our infrastructure, city incentivized ‘hog’? (I ran out of stuff, but you are welcome to add them.)
a ban on racetrack incentives passed, which is the only such ban on any kind of industry or tax incentives in Aurora. After that, the economy faltered, NASCAR expansions slowed, and the lonely Colorado Springs racetrack became a nearly-vacant oddity while the world moved on.
perhaps that suggests that it should be a no vote?
For one Nascar is awesome, for two Funny Cars are awesome! Bandimere thrives, doesn’t seem to be bother by the residents constantly complaining about the noise. So what if everyone around them hates living by them, in fairness it’s the same group complaining about red rocks. What about an electric only lift on the ban. We can be innovators of the future of race. Tesla VS Suped up Leaf… come on how awesome would that be.
I understand your concerns, but it could be built by the airport where noise wouldn’t be a problem. Also, Denver/Aurora Metro is not Colorado Springs. It is a much bigger metro area and is able to draw much larger crowds and events and more frequently than the Springs does. It also draws crowds for events from both Colorado Springs area and Fort Collins area.
Also, if it was done in a way that the public can use it, it may help keep get would be illegal racing onto the track and off our street making our streets safer.
The use of endless, open land is sometimes referred to as “sprawl,” and even if we thought in 1999 that we had endless water resources, we now know that that is not the case.
I’m on board with YES on 2J,,,,, because there’s no justification whatsoever to have such a ban in place. Passage of 2J will remove the ban. Confusing? Yes, but it needs to pass. Among other things, we also need to make certain that our elected Representatives require a local Prevailing Wage package be paid to any and all workers, not only during construction of any projects which come as a result of passing 2J; but also, any long-term ‘permanent’ Workers who are employed within the project once it’s built and operational. This would include ALL the Workers, whether they are part-time, full-time, seasonal, or one-week-at-a-time Employees. The Tax Payers of Aurora will be the investors in any projects to come as a result of passage of 2J; and those Tax Payers should be able to receive an appropriate Return On Investment. (ROI) Protecting local business and Workers with Prevailing Wage and benefits packages is the way to assure appropriate ROI.
I will definitely be voting YesOn2J in November. Aurora is now the 3rd largest city in the state and a major attraction like this will create thousands of jobs and provide millions in tax revenue to help our schools, roads and other programs. Every week thousands of Aurora residents head downtown and spends hundreds of dollars to watch the Broncos, Nuggets, Avanlanche… the list goes on. Why on earth wouldn’t we consider an opportunity to bring visitors out here to Aurora and boost our economy. As Aurora residents we need to get out of our own way on this and quit shooting ourselves in the foot. Lets put Aurora in a position to reach its full potential.