Tuesday, March 16, 2004 | 11:03 a.m.
DETROIT -- A $125 million proposal calls for a thoroughbred racing complex with up to 500 video lottery slot machines, a 164-room hotel and an upscale restaurant and convention center at the Michigan State Fairgrounds.
Under the proposal filed with state officials, the horse racing and video gambling complex could be up and running by the fall of 2005, The Detroit News reported.
The complex would not only return thoroughbred racing to the fairgrounds, but also generate 1,900 permanent jobs and hundreds of temporary construction jobs and solidify the future of the Michigan State Fair. The annual event has suffered from financial problems and falling attendance in recent years.
The plan was submitted by Detroit Thoroughbred Raceway Inc., led by developer Andrew G. McLemore Jr. The proposal also relies on the passage of legislation being reviewed by a state Senate committee that would allow horse race tracks to install slot machines.
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