As soon as International Speedway Corp. (ISC) announced a site near Bremerton National Airport as its top choice for a NASCAR racetrack, Kitsap County found itself in the local, regional and even national spotlights.
The 80,000-seat track could generate as much as $121.8 million each year for the region — and most of that money will come from out-of-state NASCAR fans.
“I think Kitsap County and the state of Washington are very fortunate to have this opportunity,” said county Commissioner Jan Angel. “It’s a wonderful opportunity (but only) the first step of a long process… We’re going to have to take it piece by piece.”
Angel’s excitement was tempered by the reality that it is too early to speculate how the project would impact the county, and that the important part was to, “…get the most balanced deal for the citizens of Kitsap County.” It’s a sentiment that many state and local leaders share, saying there are not enough details to fully understand what ISC will ask of the public.
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Will Kitsap County come to enjoy the economic benefits of being home to a sport second only to the NFL in popularity? According to ISC there are over 11.000 NASCAR season ticket holders in the Northwest —
with the nearest track over 1,000 miles away.
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At a June press conference, ISC Vice President Grant Lynch agreed that the announcement seemed premature because there was no detailed proposal, but said the goal was to start the public discussions early so all the community concerns could be addressed.
“We understand that there is a huge public process as we move through the project,” he said.
The company has secured an option to purchase 950 acres owned by Overton & Associates. The state-of-the-art facility will use a bowl-style configuration, for which the topography of the site is ideal. This type of construction will also do a great deal to mitigate the noise impact.
According to Lynch, the track will be designed to fit the countryside, and be surrounded by trees and open spaces. The goal would be to have two or three races there, including one NEXTEL Cup, event, which is currently run at another track owned by ISC.
Lynch said one of the criteria for choosing the site out of the 40 that were under consideration was the strong community support. The Kitsap Economic Development Council (KEDC) was approached by ISC almost two years ago with the idea of locating the track here, and it has provided a wide variety of demographic and decision making information in hopes to lure it in.
“We’re cheerleading this project,” was KEDC Executive Director Dave Porter’s answer to the question about the private nonprofit organization’s role. “Our role is to encourage and support the process. We think it deserves a good look.”
To show what such a facility could mean to a community, ISC officials use the example of the Kansas Speedway. Bringing the racetrack to the Kansas City, Kansas area, or KCK as it’s known locally there, has transformed the region, they say.
“I was very impressed with what it did with a very blighted area,” said Angel, who was among several local community leaders who visited Kansas Speedway in October 2002. “The track there really pulled it around.”
She said ISC is very detail-oriented and professional, and is working with the best teams in the industry, including those with experience managing presidential inaugurations as well as the 2002 Winter Olympics that were held in Salt Lake City.
While in Kansas City, Angel and KEDC officials also met with the now former mayor of Unified Wyandotte County, Carol Marinovich, who was named as one of the 2002 Public Officials of the Year by Governing.com. Coincidentally, Angel has been nominated for that same honor for 2005.
Marinovich stated that the positive economic impacts of the speedway there far exceed their expectations in terms of revenue generated for the county as well as the state.
“We’re Democrats,” Marinovich said with a grin, during that 2002 meeting. “Any project of this magnitude naturally makes us skeptical. But this has had a far greater positive impact on Wyandotte County — as well as the state of Kansas — than we could have ever imagined. It’s been absolutely great for us.”
“When a local businesses puts up sign that says, ‘Welcome, race fans,’ they come in and spend money,” Lynch said. In Kansas City, the track brought an explosion of retail and other economic development. Kansas Speedway has in fact been the biggest boost to Wyandotte County’s economy in a generation, and now anchors a state “tourism district” and budding retail center. Cabelas Outfitters, long known for its catalog and Internet sales of outdoor gear, has a store and museum located directly across the street from Kansas Speedway. It has become the top tourist destination in the state.
No less important, the KCK area seems to be stemming its population loss. While residents had been leaving at a rate of well over 1,000 per year through the early 1990s, primarily due to the lack of local jobs — a situation Kitsap County is very concerned with — KCK’s population has now stabilized.
Angel said she interviewed people in the KCK area who did not have jobs before the racetrack was built. NASCAR events will general thousands of jobs in Kitsap as well, and the majority would be filled locally. At the same time, while no additional pressure will be put on housing or schools, the pace of building transportation infrastructure would significantly increase, according to the KEDC.
ISC officials did not disclose how much of those improvements they would finance, or how much of the estimated $250 million cost would require public financing. Lynch said that no additional taxes would be required for the project, and ISC’s commitment would be greater than the $50 million originally allocated when the firm anticipated building in Snohomish County. “As we say down south where I’m from, this project carries its own water,” Lynch stated with a smile. However, it will require both state and local funding, he said.
One possibility for generating the necessary revenue is what is called “Tax Increment Financing” — a tool used in many other states. The state sells revenue bonds and pays them back with the sales tax proceeds generated by the facility. Using this method will take no money from the taxpayers, but does require a change in state law. ISC officials are hopeful the 2006 legislature will take a serious look at how this can be used not only for the speedway, but other future projects around the state as well.
ISC officials say they are asking for partners in economic development, and they hope the project will win over the majority of citizens. A public open house for citizens to come and view the plans as well get the answers to their questions is being planned for later this month. ISC, the KEDC as well as the county commissioners say they are all committed to a thorough, open, and transparent public process.
The proposed facility would be publicly owned and leased to ISC for the races. It could be used for the remainder of the year for other events, and Lynch indicated the company is open to discussions with the local “drag racing group,” Bremerton Motorsports Park, which is currently looking for a new drag strip itself. Although the bowl style speedway cannot accommodate such a strip, it could be located nearby on the property, as one is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, another ISC-operated facility.
The first race could be hosted at the Port Orchard track as early as 2010. The project largely depends on the legislature appropriating funds, and Lynch said the community needs to decide for itself if it wants to take this opportunity. The state of Missouri failed to pass the legislation necessary for the track to be built there — and KCK, as well as the entire state of Kansas, became the financial beneficiary of Missouri’s unwillingness to move forward and work with ISC.
Regardless of whether the racetrack is ultimately built, many local leaders say Kitsap will benefit. “The spotlight will be on us for many months,” Porter said. “You couldn’t afford the marketing exposure that it will get.”
