PITTSBURGH Planned complex includes a track

The state's last thoroughbred racing license is being sought for the project.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A developer who wants to build a racetrack, casino, retail and residential complex near downtown said he intends to move forward with plans of some sort, even if the Legislature doesn't approve slot machines.
Charles J. Betters made the announcement Monday, when he also said he would donate up to 250 acres of the nearly 650-acre site to the city as parkland after an environmental cleanup.
While Betters has previously said plans to develop a thoroughbred track on the site were contingent on legislation approving slot machines, he said Monday that development would take place regardless.
"We were talking about the development of this site prior to [slots discussions]," Betters said.
Under the $500 million track scenario, Betters would build about 2,000 residences, both single family homes and rental units. He was unsure how many units would be built without a track.
Largest undeveloped parcel
The site is the largest undeveloped parcel of land in the city and overlooks the Monongahela River. It had been mined for coal and suffers from acid mine drainage and long-burning underground mine fires.
Betters plans to re-mine the coal, which he said is the remediation method preferred by state and federal authorities.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Carl Lasher said re-mining is a good solution to deal with acid mine drainage. Removing the coal eliminates the source of pollutants flushed out by water, he said.
The site would not be strip mined, Betters said. Some residents of Baldwin, which borders part of the site, complained last month about strip mining.
"We have to take that word off the page. It has been used and used unfairly," said Bill Newlin, attorney for Betters' Pittsburgh Development Group. "We are removing the source of pollution."
Betters was uncertain how much coal remains or what the cleanup could cost. He has previous brown-field redevelopment experience, he said, but not the scale of this project.
Mayor is pleased
Mayor Tom Murphy said he was pleased with plans to donate land for park use and called the overall project a win, whether or not slots are approved. The parkland could be about half the size of Schenley Park, the city's flagship park.
As presented on a diagram, parkland would encircle the development, providing a minimum buffer of about 100 feet.
Other developers had been interested in the site before Betters purchased it about 18 months ago, but were unable to address environmental problems, Murphy said. It had been owned by Jones & amp; Laughlin Steel.
Betters has enlisted Churchill Downs of Kentucky as a partner in the venture. He is one of six developers looking to get the state's remaining thoroughbred racing license.
The city Planning Commission was expected to take up Betters' project today.