Old Bridge changes zoning behind Racewayparks back

[James Perrone]

Come on guys. There was no notice ?
More profitable as residential as opposed to racetrack
Track was a dead issue when it closed.
End game accomplished $$$$$$$

[Charlie Yannetti]

Originally Posted by James Perrone

Come on guys. There was no notice ?
More profitable as residential as opposed to racetrack
Track was a dead issue when it closed.
End game accomplished $$$$$$$

While I'll try very hard not to express my real feelings, or enter into political debate, I would have to say that Mr Perrone is probably right..

I find it hard to believe that a governing body would overlook, or ignore, any legal requirements when it comes to re-zoning someone's property.. it takes several public hearings to make such a move.. do I think it impossible??.. no, as I have seen small town governments make such moves against unliked property owners in my day..

The truth be told, the owners of Raceway Park kicked Drag Racing to the curb, in favor of less work, more comfort, and more money.. all understandable as we get older.. there were other options that were not exercised, in my opinion, such as a management company to handle scheduling and events for one..

A choice was made, and here we are.. the options are now TWO..

#1: the family can dig deep, and mount a legal battle against Old Bridge Twnsp to reverse the zoning change, and make it possible to turn back the hands of time.. and then the fight will continue with noise ordinances, curfews, etc..

#2: the family lets the re-zoning stand, sub-divides, and sells off parcels to residential developers, and make even more money than they already have.. no fuss, no muss, more money..

BOTTOM LINE: while I appreciate Mr Napp's video, money will take precedent, and Raceway Park, as we know it, will disappear.. I take it as too little too late, and Mr Napp trying to make it look like he has no fault in this nonsense.. he should have taken a stronger role to avoid the mismanagement of the facility during the last few years of it's existence..

It would be nice if the Napp family decided to go with Option #1, but what would you do??.. the racers and their families have already been kicked to the curb, and I don't think there's any coming back from that fact.. just my opinion though, folks..

[Pete Lanciers]

My thoughts... Karma is a Bitch!!!

[Chevy55]

If the Napp family wasn't involved in this change then IMO it's a political move by the Town Board to rid themselves of a nuisance.
It's also possible that the Napp's have a buyer for the property and they require a zoning change to complete the deal.
With all the years the Napp's have been a part of that Township it's hard to believe that this went down without their knowledge!

[SGSST109E]

The Napps made the decision to close the track an turn it into a junk yard for salvage cars. As I recall before they even had township approval. I am sure they had to fight the township to finally get approval and probably pissed off alot of people on the board. The video is a joke looking for sympathy like he had nothing to do with closing the track.

[427FE]

Huge shock that drag racing isnt returning.

[Mike Schwartz]

On thing that I noticed looking at the satellite photo, is that housing developments in Old Bridge itself are at least one mile from the strip. Its the developers in Manalapan that built right up to the border, ¼-mile from the track. Is the Old Bridge council paying too much heed to interests outside their jurisdiction? (FYI, I'm not local to this.)