Santa Anita Park race track sold to Frank Stronach, a Canadian billionaire businessman and horse owner. The property is valuable to the city for sales tax reasons.
The Santa Anita Park race track will be allowed to work round-the-clock on the renovations to be completed before the beginning of Oak Tree on September 29th.
The current phase of plans for the Santa Anita Park race track include a 1,200-seat restaurant, retrofitting to today's seismic standards, bringing the facility into compliance with ADA, and a terraced concrete apron in front of the grandstands.
Preservationists are protesting the remodeling at the Santa Anita Park race track. The Los Angeles Conservancy opposes the twin elevator towers and other plans under development.
Santa Anita Park has been purchased by Frank Stronach for $126 million through MI Development, the real estate, entertainment unit of Magna International Inc., Canada's largest auto-parts manufacturer, of which Stronach is chairman.
Santa Anita Companies have submitted a down-scaled entertainment complex with the new proposal for developing the South parking lot of the Santa Anita Park race track property.
Oak Tree Racing Association's 1996 season started with a bang on October 2. Patrons discovered a new look with the $3.5 million improvement programs completed over the summer at Santa Anita Park race track.
Meditrust will be selling Santa Anita Park race track at a lower price than the $400 million purchase price about a year ago. Due to laws changing in July, tax advantages are no longer available.
The Los Angeles Conservancy raises concerns about the work being done at the Santa Anita Park race track with the addition of the elevator towers. The city will respond to the issues raised.
The Oak Tree Racing Association reversed a national trend of declining on-track attendance by finishing its 28th meeting at Santa Anita Park with a 1.1% increase in on-track attendance.
The City Council approved two towers to be built along the front facade of the grandstand at Santa Anita Park to provide for the circulation of people going to the new Frontrunner restaurant.
Citizen input is sought on the proposed Santa Anita Commercial Center. The current proposal is 1/3 the size of the initial package presented in 1996 and would be built on 60 acres of what is now the south parking lot of Santa Anita Park.