Henrico County (Va.) Manager John Vithoulkas on Monday said that the Richmond Int'l Raceway, home to two annual NASCAR races, "is ripe for redevelopment and discussions of its future are underway." In Richmond, Ted Strong noted Vithoulkas "broached the subject during a State of the County address." Vithoulkas later "described an RIR redevelopment as something that could have a statewide impact." Henrico County Economic Development Authority Exec Dir Gary McLaren said that he "wasn’t aware of any specific plans at RIR" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 1/13).
SEVER ELEVEN? In Indianapolis, Anthony Schoettle reports even if the Indiana General Assembly "approves a funding mechanism" for a proposed, $87M downtown soccer stadium for the NASL Indy Eleven -- which "is no sure thing -- hurdles would remain." Developers think that one logical spot for the 18,500-seat, open-air venue "is a stone’s throw from Lucas Oil Stadium." Indy Eleven President & GM Peter Wilt said that the team "has plenty of options for a stadium, all downtown." Team officials have said that they "need 10 acres for a stadium and more space for parking. Talks with property owners are ongoing" (INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/12 issue).
SLEEP IN YOUR FUTURE: In Sacramento, Ben van der Meer wrote the ongoing progress on the NBA Kings' new arena downtown "leads to a nagging question" for the team: "What becomes of their current arena?" So far, there is "no concrete answer" for Sleep Train Arena. One reason that there "hasn't been any solid plan yet could be because there's no obvious choice." That "leads to two possible choices: developing the current arena site in a conventional way, or doing something bold." On a "dollars-and-cents basis, doing something conventional -- like a mix of a single-family houses, retail and office -- is justifiable." On the other hand, maybe there is a "growing company that could be lured to build a campus there" (SACRAMENTO BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/9 issue).
