On Sept. 12, James Rogers of Los Gatos turned in an application to amend the city’s general plan so he and other unnamed backers could build a 628-acre project that could include race tracks, a casino and an amusement park.
Rogers also turned in the financial information regarding some of the project’s investors, and expects to hammer out details over the next six to eight months.
Rogers didn’t give details regarding the investors or how much the initial planning process will cost, but said he has enough money lined up to build Spirit of California, a billion-dollar-plus venue that will include a 300-acre motorsports park, a hotel, casino and convention center, a marina along Sugar Cut, plus a golf course, amusement park and wine center.
A city-hired consultant, National Development Council, will verify if the initial group of investors Rogers has rounded up has the financial ability to buy the land and get the project through the planning process, as well as local and state government reviews.
National Development Council, an economic development consultant based in New York City with offices nationwide, including an office in Napa, will look at investors’ federal tax returns and bank account information.
The review is confidential, as outlined in the negotiating rights agreement approved by the City Council in March.
Rogers said the information he submitted to NDC represents more than enough money to get through the planning process.
“All we showed the city is enough to entitle the project,” he said. “What we’re going to do over the next six to eight months is redesign the project using information from our consultants.”
The general plan amendment application he took to the city two weeks ago includes a tentative layout of the site, which he has showed investors and consultants over the past year and is also on the project website, www.spiritofcalifornia.com.
Rogers said that consultants will complete environmental and traffic studies.
The land is outside of Tracy city limits and is designated by the city’s general plan as agricultural land. A general plan amendment is the first step in making that land available for commercial uses and a potential annexation into city limits.
Rogers and the city now will draw up a new exclusive negotiating rights agreement, which assures him that he will be able to buy the city-owned land just north of city limits. The new agreement will reflect the scope of Spirit of California, a much larger project than the one proposed by the former entity, Tracy’s California Blast, which started as just the motorsports park.
Rogers expects to have that agreement up for council approval on Oct. 16.
City Development and Engineering Services Director Andrew Malik said the agreement could be ready by then, or could be up for council review in November. It would be the council’s first formal look at the plan.
“That’s when he will show the full scope of what he wants to do,” Malik said.
Malik added that follow-up reviews include drafting a specific plan, which would include more details and more focused review than the general plan amendment. State-mandated environmental studies would follow.
“How we get there and how quickly we get there, I don’t have that answer yet,” Malik said. “There’s no rush to it. We want to be very methodical. Council wants it to be an informed decision. There are a lot of steps still to come.”
"The Casino project is an integral key aspect to the project development and success. Historically, it is proven that casino gaming drives high revenues and substantial profits that other types of venues cannot achieve."
Perhaps Mr. Rogers and the city of Tracy don't realize there's a whole lot more to getting a casino approved that slipping a few bucks under the table, namely the feds getting involved before the governor has the ultimate say. And if it's approved, the ensuing lawsuits from the other Indian casinos.
Yes, I thank council new th money was spent an if ya go down ta city finance offices they can probably tell ya what was spent.
Yep, th kit fox was relocated from whair it wasn't ta whair it isn't. That happened over th trifecta fiasco between th Safeway Distribution warehouse, Mark Connolly an California Fish an Game. Interestin story, ya ought ta examine th details. Very illuinatin. Start at County Public Records.
Yeah yer right, I sure do complain about peaches, avocados,grapes an other short seasoned fruits an vegetables that I can buy any time of year in th produce section of my local grocery store without havin ta do without until thair next local growing season.
An ain't it grand that we took a pristine watershed an tarned it inta an ecological cesspool as we irrigated a desert in th Central Valley an polluted it while stopping the Colorado River from reachin th Gulf of California?
Whair were yer complaints about that sort of activity as th destruction of our nation's major natural watersheds took place in th name of agriculture?
Ain't Mono Lake just grand? An tell me, just what happened ta th orange orchards that populated Anaheim before Disneyland was built an why we don't have fresh oranges ta eat?
It's called change an it's been happenin since th birth of mankind. Some good, some bad but it's gonna happen an ya need ta larn ta deal with it.
Ta tout agriculture in this valley as bein all that friendly ta th environment is a stretch of th imagination an ta forget it wouldn't exist here without mankind's design isn't right either.
Hug a tree. Power to the people. Peace. Poppy seeds.
As for produce from Mexico, Chile, whatever I am not the hippy dippy sort to complain about that. As long as its cheap I dont much care where it came from. Also, there is more than enough other land in the central valley to grow on. Even if there were not, its not like anybody except illegals needs ag jobs and they shouldnt be here anyway.
Public works.
airstrip runway; they warn about the old existing gas pipe lines between the airport and Tuso's land where Serpa wants to put houses.
Looks like they have a better plan for Tracy than you seem to.
All you do is tear down everybody. Go eat some more peppers.
Sorry to push your buttons, but did they win against Carnegie? Did they win against the Lab?
And the last we heard in the newspaper the pipe had nothing to do with it. In fact, it turns out the pipe does not go under any homes. It does go underneath MANY of the roads you drive on, in Tracy though.
In fact, the Tracy Press told us elsewhere the lawsuit hinged on a technicality regarding placement of homes. Meaning they could reside elsewhere. And the Tracy Press told us that the lawsuit did not have enough merit to avoid a legal challenge.
Either way, it sounds like the Tracy Press is involved in their delay tactics, if you ask me.
The airport runway is federal. And in county limits.
Last time a plane crashed, I was driving home and saw several county sherrif vehicles out there. Did not see one TPD out there.
If TRAQC shows up at a city council meeting, regarding the airport, my guess is they're only looking for the judge to grant them their legal fees.
Have they cashed their check for that yet?
Maybe you can tell us, here?
I would not expect TRAQC to help with the airport, in fact I think they've made things worse. And I do not think they're being very straightforward with their airport 'interest'?
Do you feel otherwise?
Seems to me like they done nothing but play political football with your airport.
But I could be wrong, you seem to think so.