Hillsborough off-track wagering hearing set for July

• Hearing on the proposal is tentatively scheduled for July 22 at Hillsborough High School
• The new restaurant and off-track-wagering facility would be called Favorites

HILLSBOROUGH – Township residents will have their only chance next month to comment on a proposed combined off-track wagering facility and restaurant on Route 206.

A public hearing is scheduled for July 22 by the New Jersey Racing Commission on the application by the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association to convert the former Maestro 206 restaurant into a restaurant and off-track-wagering facility called Favorites. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for the Hillsborough High School auditorium, the largest indoor venue in the township.

The public hearing is the next step in the racing commission's review of the application, which was deemed complete by the commission on June 9.

Mayor Doug Tomson said the application will be posted on the township website once the township receives it.

"I'm interested in seeing the final application," said Tomson.

The main concern, the mayor said, is whether the township will receive property taxes from the facility.

The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association is the successor to Darby Development, the operators of Monmouth Park, which filed the original application for the facility in 2014.

Under state law, the New Jersey Horsemen's Association does not have to pay property taxes on the Route 206 property for five years. However, Darby had agreed to a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement in which it would pay the township $32,000 a year for the next five years.

Tomson said he is waiting to review the application and see if the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will honor the PILOT agreement or opt for the tax abatement.

Maestro 206 had been paying about $41,000 a year in property taxes.

To support the state's struggling horse-racing industry, the state has adopted legislation, which included the tax abatement, to promote off-track wagering in New Jersey. Under that legislation, an off-track wagering facility would be allowed in commercial and industrial zones and limit municipal input on the proposals.

Maestro 206 has been a restaurant site for decades. The closest homes are on Park Avenue, a dead-end street that runs between the restaurant and the nearby service station.

More than 100 residents attended a public hearing on the proposal in April 2014, with most criticizing the plan, which then stalled before the racing commission..

After the July public hearing, the racing commission will have 30 to 60 days to decide whether to approve the application.

Once the commission makes a decision, the state Office of the Attorney General has 14 days to review that decision and make a final ruling.

In 2008, a proposal to locate an off-track wagering facility and restaurant in Green Brook drew widespread opposition from residents.

The facility was proposed for the former Saturn of Green Brook dealership on Route 22. Close to 200 residents attended a public hearing to voice concerns about traffic and security.

After the Green Brook Township Committee rejected the proposal, the plan was dropped by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

Off-track wagering facilities now operate in Woodbridge, Bayonne, Toms River, Clementon and Vineland.

Tomson said he will also push legislative leaders to schedule a vote on a bill proposed by District 16 legislators that would allow local municipalities a bigger say about whether off-track wagering facilities could be within their borders.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com