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JAMES BUTLER President of Empire City EmpireCity Racing Association plans for whose whosenew new track were announced yesterday Plan fo Build Modern Track To Replace Idle Empire City Select Site on Hutchinson Parkway in Neighborhood of Baychester for New Plant PlantNEW NEW YORK N Y May 25 A new and completely modern race track to replace the long idle Empire City is to be built at a cost of between six and eight million dol ¬ lars and is in the advanced planning stage at a site on the Hutchinson Parkway in the neighborhood of Baychester it was learned here today Former Supreme Court Justice William F Bleakley attorney for the Em ¬ pire City Racing Association confirmed persistent rumors that the site near Pel ham Bay which is now wooded country purchased by a company from which the Empire City Racing Association can and presumably will acquire the property to re ¬ place the outmoded Yonkers plant but added that there are defects in the title to parts of the land required requiredConstruction Construction on the hew track cannot begin until steel is available in quantities not required for residential purposes which may be a matter of two years or more Meanwhile the Empire City meetings will continue to be held at Jamaica as they have been since the war when gasoline and transportation restrictions caused the closing of the track founded in 1908 by the late James Butler Sr grocery magnate Bleakley said at Belmont Park that options on several outlying lots are being taken up todayYonkers today Yonkers Plant Too Small SmallSeveral Several efforts have been made by West chester County authorities to obtain the reopening of the original Empire City track which provided considerable reve ¬ nue to the county but the New York State Racing Commission has consistently op ¬ posed such a move on the ground that the Yonkers plant is too small to handle mod ¬ ernday crowds witjh safety safetyThe The site of the new track is within the limits of the city of New York in the Bronx and revenue from the new track would go to the city which already benefits from the transplanted Empire racing at Ja ¬ maica as well as sharing the Belmont Park revenue at Nassau County arid ob ¬ taining 5 per cent from the wagering at Jamaica and Aqueduct AqueductThere There have been reports that the Yonk ¬ ers track would be cut up into building lots and stories have also circulated to the effect that the barns and other buildings would be used as a veterans huge housing project Bleakley said according to a pub ¬ lished report that he had advised Mayor Curtiss E Frank of Yonkers that the buildings on the grounds were uninhabit ¬ able The plant has been maintained in good condition Bleakley said The track will be sold when a satisfactory offer is re ¬ ceived but not until construction has been actually begun on the new track the at torney added The property is valued on the Yonkers tax rolls at 1809700 Other sources declare that a trotting meeting to be held under the lights is projected by other interests The present owners of the property have no intention of going into harness racing in any way The site of the old track is highly desirable residential and business property Empire City was orig ¬ inally opened as a harness horse track and only became a thoroughbred course after court action by James Butler and associ ¬ ates compelled The Jockey Club to allot dates During the war years the Hamble tonian was transferred from Goshen to Empire City for one renewal renewalExpressing Expressing enthusiasm for the projected race track in the Bronx borough president James J Lyons said today that the new Empire will be a fitting addition to a borough of champions a borough that has conquered in many worlds series He added that he welcomed the track as a source of additional revenue for the Bronx When asked his opinion regarding the pro ¬ posed site of the track Lyons said I think it is ideal couldnt have been bet ¬ ter chosen from any point of view
