| Location |
| Pedrick Road and I 80, Dixon |
| Pro-Website |
| http://www.dixondowns.com (archive page) |
| Con-Website |
| http://www.DixonVoteNo.com |
Dixon Downs was a proposed horse racetrack and, in the second phase of development, hotel resort and retail plaza. It would have been located at the corner of Pedrick Road and Interstate 80 in Dixon. Magna Entertainment Corp. was in charge of the project, which encompassed 260 acres of land. It was approved by the Dixon city council on October 23, 2006, 6 years after it was first proposed. In late 2006, a group opposing the racetrack delivered 4 sets of petitions to the city to force the council to either rescind its decision or allow citizens to vote on the issue. The council decided on the latter and held a special election on April 17, 2007 for Measures M, N, O, and P. Shortly after, the city of Davis and Campbell Soup Company filed lawsuits against Dixon over concerns with the environmental impact report (EIR). As of April 18, all four Measures have failed, as shown by county election results. Though Magna still owns the land, they have indicated that the project is dead; the property is currently for sale (reference: Davis Enterprise 2007-08-20 article).
Timeline
| 2000-07? |
| Magna Entertainment first proposes Dixon Downs. |
| 2005-11-30 |
| Public comment period for the draft EIR ends. Planning commission and city council review begins. |
| 2006-03-15 |
| Davis City Council issues a letter to Dave Dowswell, Dixon Community Development Director, outlining concerns over the draft EIR's analysis of the impact Dixon Downs would have on Davis. |
| 2006-05-24 |
| Dixon city council decided 4-1 that the public will not be able to vote on the project. Public opinion surveys would be conducted instead, for informative reasons only. |
| 2006-07-11 |
| After a staff report on the cost of a mail or phone survey, the council reneged and will no longer be performing a formal poll. |
| 2006-07-25 |
| Final EIR completed. Available at City of Dixon website. An unknown party conducts a one-question phone survey of Davis residents, asking whether or not they supported the Dixon Downs development. |
| 2006-09 to 2006-10 |
| The planning commission holds a series of public meetings though September, finally voting to recommend the approval of Dixon Downs with some modifications to the proposal on September 27. Dixon city council holds series of public meetings into October.12 |
| 2006-10-23 |
| Dixon city council approves Dixon Downs.3 |
| 2006-11-20 |
| Davis City Manager Bill Emlen announces that the city of Davis would be suing Dixon over traffic concerns. Campbell Soup Company, which has a tomato processing plant on Pedrick Road, files a CEQA lawsuit against Dixon as well (case #FCS028760).4 |
| 2006-11-21 |
| City of Davis files suit against Dixon in Solano County Superior Court (case #FCS028771). |
| 2006-12-12 |
| Dixon Citizens for Quality Growth delivers final 2 (of 4) sets of petitions to city that seek to overturn the council's decision. Signatures will need to be verified before council acts. |
| 2007-01-09 |
| Dixon city council unanimously approves a special election on April 17, 2007 to decide fate of Dixon Downs. |
| 2007-02-28 |
| Magna announces changes to the plan in order to gain more community support. These will prohibit casino-style gambling and slot machines, limit the audience size at events, close down the track during tomato canning season, and give local businesses first chance at retail space. |
| 2007-03-09 |
| Campbell Soup Company drops its lawsuit in response to the new changes. |
| 2007-03-30 |
| Sacramento Bee Editorial - "No on Dixon Downs". -"Or they could say No to Measures M, N, O, and P. That is what they should do,..." |
| 2007-04-18 |
| Dixon Downs is rejected by Dixon voters by a vote total of: 53% against, 47% for. |
Opposition
The citizens' group opposing the development is Dixon Citizens for Quality Growth. Traffic is a major concern, as well as the impact on local infrastructure and businesses. Campbell Soup Company has filed a lawsuit against Dixon over the environmental and traffic impact of Dixon Downs. The city of Davis intends to sue as well.
RAADD http://www.VoteNoDowns.blogspot.com http://www.DixonVoteNo.com
More Information
- California Aggie coverage October 13th 2006
- California Aggie coverage October 16th 2006
- California Aggie coverage October 17th 2006
- California Aggie coverage October 26th 2006
- California Aggie coverage November 20th 2006
- California Aggie coverage March 13th 2007
2006-08-07 17:05:47 Any idea what the results were for the one-question survey? —CissiePerkins
Footnotes
1. Curda, Beth. Racetrack crosses its first finish line. The Davis Enterprise. 2006-09-28
2. Murphy, Melissa. City preps for public hearings. The Reporter. 2006-08-02
3. Murphy, Melissa. Thumbs up for Dixon Downs. The Reporter. 2006-10-24
4. Hamlin, Brian. Campbell sues over Downs. The Reporter. 2006-11-22
Comments:
You must be logged in to comment on this page. Please log in.