Leominster Council Rejects Horse Racing Proposal

Leominster City Council has voted to prohibit horse and dog racing, halting a proposed entertainment complex that included a seasonal race track. The council passed an ordinance amendment on July 14 in an 8-1 vote. On the same night, they also voted unanimously against a zoning overlay district that would have allowed the project to move forward.

The plan, named The Fairgrounds, aimed to turn an old landfill into a place with live races, a food place, a sports bar, places for horses, and Massachusetts betting.

The area has been left as is since the trash site shut in 1982.

The plan faced lots of pushback for months from locals. Many shared worries about bets, cars, how animals are treated, and how the land is used.

Lisa Nugent, who lives in Leominster, set up a Facebook group called No Horse Racing in Leominster, Massachusetts, and began a call-in March asking lawmakers to stop horse or dog racing and Massachusetts betting. Nugent said the public reaction to the council’s vote was one of relief.

“For anyone who looked at all the copious amounts of information available on all of it, it was somewhat overwhelming and absurd that we were having to fight this proposal at all,” she told MassLive following the decision.

Council Vice President Pauline Cormier pointed to the public’s stance as a clear factor in how she voted.

“There’s no appetite for horse racing here in Leominster. I think [residents] have been clear and loud. They don’t want this in the town,” Cormier said at the meeting.

The zoning overlay would have permitted changes necessary for building on the site, which is currently not zoned for entertainment or commercial uses. Its rejection, combined with the ordinance change, ends the project entirely unless state laws or council rules are modified in the future.

In Leominster people who liked the plan said it could fix the bad horse job scene in Massachusetts and give more jobs. The builders said the fun place would draw people, boost local spending, and up tax money. Some fans also said that the old trash site, unused for more than 40 years, could be used in a much better way.

Yet, the plan had a hard time winning over locals. Many asked if the money made would be more than the bad social and land effects, mainly since gambling was part of the plan.

At town meet-ups and in letters, locals shared worries about whether horse races could last and the danger of building on old trash ground.

The trash site, shut since 1982, has been talked about for years, but nothing new has been done except for some care. What will happen with it is still not known.

The rejected proposal was the most extensive development idea for the site in recent years. Without the zoning overlay and with the horse or dog racing ban in place, any new use will require a different approach. The city has not made any announcements about other proposals for the property.

Several councilors acknowledged that the site’s condition poses limitations but said the community should take part in setting expectations for what, if anything, should be built there.

“There’s interest in making that area useful again, but it has to be something people here actually want,” said one councilor after the vote.

The opposition to the race track included residents concerned about more than just the proposed use. For some, the issue represented a broader concern about what types of development are appropriate for Leominster.

One person said, ‘Even folks who don’t often join in city talks were loud now. This wasn’t only on a track; it was about the type of place we wish to call home.

Some were afraid the plan might bring more bets than the town could handle. Others asked about how animals would be cared for, and if the city could back up a place like that.

The issue brought out high attendance at public meetings, letters to local representatives, and sustained activity on social media.

With the council’s vote, any future proposal involving racing or on-site Massachusetts betting will be legally prohibited. This step puts Leominster in the short list of Massachusetts cities that choose to limit such acts in their area.

While those for the project have not said they will take legal steps or have other plans, the rule will stay unless it is changed later, a change that needs both a new law and people to agree.

Right now, the project is off the table, and the place is still not built on.

People and leaders think that any use of the land later will need a plan that shows the worries people talked about. For many, the result shows the type of growth they want back.