Following a lengthy review process of an appeal of a previous approval decision, today the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) released its long-awaited decision, clearing another barrier from in front of the Canadian Motor Speedway project, in Fort Erie, Ontario. The target opening date for the facility is now “the third quarter of 2015.”
In response to the decision, CMS issued the following press release:
Developers of the Canadian Motor Speedway (CMS) project in Fort Erie, Ontario are delighted to announce The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has given the green flag for the historic racing and entertainment complex to finally proceed.
The OMB had initially approved CMS close to a year ago, however an additional appeal hearing last year to review the disqualification of an appellant’s witness put CMS on hold. That appeal has now been dismissed removing the most difficult aspect of the approval process for the motor-tainment complex.
CMS will now enter the final detailed site plan approval phase after waiting more than six years after the complex was first proposed for the east side of the Queen Elizabeth Highway, between Gilmore and Bowen Roads in the Town of Fort Erie.
While CMS works with Fort Erie on final site plan approval, investors are evaluating an appropriate time to stage a ground breaking, with a target to complete the facility by the third quarter of 2015.
ABOUT THE CANADIAN MOTOR SPEEDWAY: The Canadian Motor Speedway (CMS) is a $150 million dollar World Class motor sport and entertainment development to be situated on 820 acres of land in Fort Erie, Ontario. It is directly adjacent to the QEW within 2 minutes from the Canadian/U.S. border at Buffalo New York and 15 minutes from iconic Niagara Falls.
CMS will include connected ancillary construction for industrial, recreational, and commercial-retail use, as well as a motorsport innovation park in collaboration with McMaster University’s renowned Faculty of Engineering expanding the build-out to $400 million.
The core of the project consists of a stand-alone “Jeff Gordon Designed Signature Speedway” consisting of a banked oval, which combines to form a FIA / FIM grade road course through an innovative system of tunnels.
Every one of the 65,000 stadium seats will provide an expansive view of the oval and road course for maximum enjoyment of a wide variety of motorsport and non-motorsport events. 5,000 enclosed club seats and VIP suites will favour the customer with first class catering and access.
The development will provide world class racing events for up to 100,000 spectators in a variety of motor sport platforms including stock car and open wheel racing, motorcycle racing, karting, drifting and various motorized and non-motorized categories. The facility also includes concert grandstands and a professional grade ice rink which converts to a winner’s circle during the racing season.
For more information, visit: www.cdnmotorspeedway.com , www.facebook.com/cmsnation , or on Twitter @CMSnation
ABOUT THE ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD (OMB): The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is a Provincial institution which hears applications and appeals in relation to a range of municipal planning, financial and land matters including official plans, zoning by-laws, subdivision plans, consents and minor variances, land compensation, development charges, electoral ward boundaries, municipal finance, aggregate resources and other issues assigned to the Board by numerous Ontario statutes.
For more information or interviews, please contact: Erik Tomas, Media Consultant, Canadian Motor Speedway. Office: 905-892-0411. Cell: 289-407-4410 TOMASERIK@aol.com
{fcomment}
Discussion about this post