WESTERN PA. Hoping to obtain racing license, investors unveil plans for Pennsylvania Downs

By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
BIG BEAVER, Pa. -- It will have the look of an old, gentrified horse farm, but modern use of a casino, hotel and thoroughbred racetrack.
That's the experience investors in Pennsylvania Downs are proposing in hopes of snagging the last thoroughbred racetrack license in Pennsylvania.
"Our vision for Pennsylvania Downs is to develop a destination resort that will capture the rich history of thoroughbred racing and marry the grandeur with a high-tech, state-of-the-art gaming experience. We will successfully integrate racing and gaming so that both activities complement each other in such a way that racing, either live or simulcast, will always be in view," said Dan Adkins, secretary of Western Pennsylvania Racing Associates and vice president of Hartman and Tyner.
The facility is a joint venture of Hartman and Tyner, a Michigan racetrack operator, and Oxford Development Co., a Pittsburgh-based real estate firm that owns such properties as One Oxford Center and South Hills Village Mall in Pittsburgh. Together, they have formed Pennsylvania Racing Associates LLC.
The group is vying for the last thoroughbred racing license in the state. It is one of at least six that the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission will consider this fall.
Plans for the 154-acre entertainment destination were unveiled Tuesday at the Big Beaver Borough Building.
The proposed racetrack/casino/hotel is a stone's throw away from the Pa. Route 60 and Pennsylvania Turnpike intersection, about nine miles east of the Ohio border.
Morris Architects of Orlando, Fla., is the lead architectural firm for the $85 million development.
Economic improvement
Beaver County officials say they welcome the plan and hope it fills their tax coffers and spurs more economic development.
"It would make a big impact on our area. Unemployment is a problem. We need to get more employers any way we can," said Big Beaver Mayor Don Wachter.
Beaver Falls Mayor Karl Boak agrees.
"The overflow will be good. It should help bring business to our city," Boak said.
Investors are promising to initially create 300 full-time and 200 part-time jobs. Eventually they hope to employee 800 to 900 people.
Dave Matters, president of Oxford Development, said he believes the proposed racetrack's proximity to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Pa. Route 60 is the key to getting the last license in Pennsylvania. Plans also call for contributing 25 percent of Pennsylvania Downs' annual net profits for distribution to United Way Agencies in 10 counties of southwestern Pennsylvania, including Beaver and Lawrence.
"If we do well, there is the opportunity to do some good. We think that is important," he said.
Most of the plans, however, depend on the Pennsylvania Senate's decision whether slot machines will be permitted at state racetracks. A decision could be made next week.
If that measure is defeated, Matters said investors still hope to build a scaled-down version of the proposed racetrack on that spot.
It should take about 22 months to construct Pennsylvania Downs if it is approved by the Horse Racing Commission, he said.