After nearly five years of planning developers are moving forward with their plan to build a massive motor sports park in Hastings. Reporter Candace Hopkins brings us an update on the project and a look at the work currently happening at the site.
HASTINGS, N.Y.--This site off Route 11 in Hastings currently sits empty, but in just over a year developers hope to be opening the Central New York Raceway Park. The park will host a wide variety of activities, like asphalt racing, oval racing, road course racing and go carting.
The park will span nearly 150 acres, and will include indoor track space to be used in the winter, along with a 7,000 seat grandstand and restaurant. Developers said such a versatile motor sports park doesn't currently exist in the United States.
"If it has wheels, you'll be able to do it here. The idea is to basically make this a premiere racing destination, so that when people think about racing, and they're in the northeast, they'll think of Central New York Raceway Park," said attorney Scott Chatfield.
Crews are currently out on the site preparing it to be built upon, while developers prepare to submit their building permits to the town for approval.
"They're in the process of bulldozing the top soil up, stockpiling it, then removing it a truckload at a time, that takes a while, there's a lot of truck loads in 100,000 yards," said Chatfield.
And town officials said they are eager to see the project continue to progress.
"This is an opportunity for us to introduce new business and growth into our town, which, the town and the county really needs this raceway to take off at this time," said Hastings town supervisor Tony Bush.
And while there's still a lot to be done, developers are aiming for a Spring of 2016 opening. Once completed, developers said the facility will employ nearly 150 people year round.