Texas World Speedway

[M3prsiv]

http://soonerbillz.com/SaveTWS/

Might have no affect but worth the time.

[Klepper1]

I just signed it

[///M Ryder]

I just sent a email to the Houston M Club and Track Club about this........Phil

Another link--------> http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/D...250240841.html

[jphughan]

Driver's Edge is aware of it. Is the Lone Star chapter on this as well?

I was wondering when this would happen. As College Station has grown, the property taxes on a plot of land as large as TWS must be stratospheric, but I would still really miss this track. My first event was at TWS running counter-clockwise, and it's still the most convenient track for me since I live in Austin. Driver's Edge doesn't run Harris Hill anymore because the facility isn't large enough for the participation Driver's Edge attracts nowadays (and open track days there don't offer insurance coverage), CotA is a whole lot more expensive than anything else out there, and everything else is about 3.5 hours away.

[bigjae1976]

I think COTA, over time, will replace TWS. I don't see F1 becoming a US staple for major annual sports events.

With BMWCCA and even MVP, spots are not as hard to come by at the elevated prices. The exclusivity will diminish over time and DE's will become doable. Never as cheap as TWS though.

Then things like this will speed things up. Just my opinion. At some point, another track will pop up somewhere.

[jphughan]

Great article on Jalopnik about why TWS must be saved: http://jalopnik.com/why-texas-world-...ium=socialflow.

The article claims that this vote is happening because the current ownership of TWS is asking for this change, though I can't find that explicitly stated in the article they're citing. I figured this was going to be an eminent domain type deal, not a case of the ownership asking for approval to repurpose their land. If it is indeed the latter, that's sad that we'd be fighting the current ownership rather than counting them on our side.

[gobuffs]

The property was sold the end of 13 per records I saw somewhere else (didn't confirm it to be true). Was sold to a real estate investment fund. This is not an eminent domain thing. From what I read the city has to vote on the MUD the 27th. The results of that meeting will be telling.

The previous owners were looking for a quick flip and profit. Even though they were sorta car people their motivation was money from what heard. They owned it years longer than they planned to. The new owners are not at all car people.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by gobuffs

The property was sold the end of 13 per records I saw somewhere else (didn't confirm it to be true). Was sold to a real estate investment fund. This is not an eminent domain thing. From what I read the city has to vote on the MUD the 27th. The results of that meeting will be telling.

The previous owners were looking for a quick flip and profit. Even though they were sorta car people their motivation was money from what heard. They owned it years longer than they planned to. The new owners are not at all car people.

I thought it was sold around the end of 2012, which is what I remember reading/hearing -- and would certainly line up with the timing of the $5 per car entry fee that was instituted around that time and was attributed to the new management.

But if the current owners are seeking this MUD, then unless a new buyer for TWS appears out of nowhere in the next week or so, that doesn't leave me terribly optimistic. I'm sure that rightly or wrongly, most of College Station believes they'd be better served by having housing and a school and whatever else on that plot of land than a track that "makes a bunch of noise and is only used by people who don't care about the environment" (their imagined words). I don't know why that MUD couldn't be placed somewhere nearby instead considering how little of the land around TWS is developed, though. Maybe the people who own that land aren't interested for some reason?

[gobuffs]

The sale date I saw was 12/31/13, not 12. I don't think the $5/car had anything to do with an owner change (I could be wrong). Have no feeling on if the city will approve- assume the investor did due diligence and has a good feeling that it would pass as if it doesn't they are going to lose lots of money. Agree there are lots of other places in the area that could be built but then you get into the sound issues. IMO there is no need for a development that size on that side of town. But I haven't lived in CS in nearly 15 years so I don't have the pulse of housing availability/need. Being interesting and sad if it does happen.

[bigjae1976]

In Killeen, developments killed the 1/4 mile dirt track...despite that track being there LONG before any houses were within 1 mile of the place. So they basically build houses within 200 meters of the track. Sold the houses during the winter (when they track doesn't have the outlaw racers running) only the have the new owners find out about the race track a couple of months after moving in.

I guess everyone doesn't appreciate loud car noises.

So gobuffs has an excellent point. If a development on TWS doesn't kill TWS...I would imagine that neighbors at some point will.

[surlynkid]

And how do people in CS feel about bonds and property taxes?

Anybody look on the property tax rolls to see the value of the land?

[gobuffs]

Tax value of hundreds of house is more than what the track is paying I am sure. Wonder what their tax bill was for 2013?

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by gobuffs

Tax value of hundreds of house is more than what the track is paying I am sure. Wonder what their tax bill was for 2013?

Should be able to look it up in the CAD webpage. Anybody have the exact tax ID number or address to search. It is all public info.

Never mind. Looked it up. Valued at $5.4M for property and $845K for buildings, etc. Last taxes on that were $100K and $15K, respectively. I see 1600+ signatures to not tear it down. $3750 each and we own it.

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by gobuffs

Tax value of hundreds of house is more than what the track is paying I am sure. Wonder what their tax bill was for 2013?

Depends on the value of the homes but you also need to subtract the cost of city services for that area from the tax revenues. The ISD taxes will just offset the new kids in the system, so there are only county taxes unless they do annex that ETJ area.

[gobuffs]

I am sure you saw the post I did that said the 2009 update to the CS master plan showed TWS being developed. I'm sure that answers your question there. Tax implications for houses is greater than any tax implication for use taxes due to the track. Same argument makes my eyes roll when some expert says the economic impact to a city that hosts the Super Bowl ( or whatever big sports event) is $50M (or whatever figure they quote) but that number is really just bullshit as most if the money spent goes to the corporate offices of the businesses.