NJ Town Aims to Construct 600 Homes on Land of Historic Race Track

      Old Bridge Township Raceway Park via Facebook

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      It seems to be a recurring theme these days, as another local racing establishment faces the possibility of being replaced by housing development. This time, it's Old Bridge Township Raceway Park located in Englishtown, New Jersey. Due to the state's mandates for affordable housing, the township is obligated to identify locations for new residential construction, with one of these being a southeastern section of the 534-acre Raceway Park site.

      A proposed plan may bring up to 600 housing units to the property, which opened its doors in 1965 and is historically renowned for drag racing. Although Raceway Park discontinued drag racing in 2018 due to escalating expenses, it still operates a road course and a motocross track, and hosts karting and drifting events, including a round of the Formula Drift championship. According to MyCentralJersey, only 50% of the land is deemed suitable for development due to environmental considerations, and the proposal is expected to leave space for a motorsport facility and other commercial and retail developments.

      This is not the first time Raceway Park has faced redevelopment challenges. In 2023, the Old Bridge Township Council tried to advance a plan to rezone part of the land for single-family residences. The racetrack filed a lawsuit against the town, with Raceway Park's attorney stating to MyCentralJersey that the "ordinance seeks to strip them of their use of that property and effectively eliminate its function." A small public airport is also located adjacent to the track.

      The two sides have been in discussions since then to establish a new agreement, which leads us to the current situation. During a meeting last month, the township planning board voted to "initiate the process of assessing whether the raceway qualifies as an ‘area in need of redevelopment,’" as reported by NJ.com.

      New Jersey's Fair Share Housing Development Plan aims to create 146,000 “affordable housing units” statewide in the next ten years, whether through rehabilitation or new construction, with Old Bridge expected to contribute 673 homes. It’s important to mention that the township does not seem enthusiastic about this assignment. Board members referred to the requirement as “unfair,” according to NJ.com, with one member stating, “If it were up to me, I’d put up a ‘closed for building’ sign in this town. It’s disgusting. If we don’t comply, we get sued. Ultimately, we really have no choice.”

      Even more frustrating, under New Jersey regulations, only 15% to 25% of units within an “inclusionary” residential development are generally designated as “affordable,” while the remainder can be sold at market rates, as noted by MyCentral Jersey.

      In 2023, Atco Dragway, another long-standing drag racing track located about 50 miles southwest of Englishtown, closed after 63 years of operation. The Drive has reached out to Raceway Park for a comment and will provide updates if there is a response.

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