
DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708280507

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SERIES: COLONIAL DOWNS

        Post time for New Kent horse-racing track

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NEW KENT COUNTY                   LENGTH:  108 lines

BIG CHANGES COME GALLOPING INTO NEW KENT COUNTY'S LIFE

Until now, these rolling woodlands have been cloaked from the eyes of the rapid-growth world of Richmond, Williamsburg and Hampton Roads.

But what people are saying here on the eve of the Old Dominion's return to horse racing could be summed up by the county's historical society vice president, W. Tolar Nolley:

``Our secret is out.''

In five days, New Kent's splendid isolation should be shattered by thundering thoroughbreds and the estimated tens of thousands who will come to watch them at Colonial Downs race track just lengths away from Interstate 64.

And the county, dozens of residents said recently, will never be the same.

Cities in Hampton Roads report a relatively slight economic ripple from the planned opening of Colonial Downs.

But the New Kent natives - those both wary of and worked up over Colonial Downs - see the track's opening as the beginning of the county's transformation from cloistered sanctuary to entertainment destination akin to Virginia Beach's Oceanfront or Colonial Williamsburg.

Best not to bring that up with Grace Smith.

``I don't want the city to come to the country,'' said Smith, who has rented her cottage on Route 155 four miles down the street from the track for the last 22 years.

``It's gotten awful. . . . I don't know who these people are. And we have real estate people coming to the door all the time asking if we want to sell. And the traffic from the track construction. . . .''

Colonial Downs is just the beginning of a wave of land development in this rural, 221-square-mile county, bounded by the Pamunkey and York rivers to the north and the Chickahominy River to the south and largely overshadowed by Richmond and historic Williamsburg.

And it was not until Interstate 64 bisected the county more than 20 years ago that significant development was even possible.

Still, of the county's 12,000 residents, 80 percent work outside the county, leaving the community largely forested and agricultural.

``We have no industrial base,'' said New York City native Alan M. Bernstein, director of the county's Heritage Public Library.

``I've been here for 10 years, but they've been talking about change for 100 years before that. Now I think it's finally coming,'' said Bernstein, who is also a member of the county planning commission.

Some new housing developments already dot the shady, two-lane county roads. The prestigious Legends organization opened the $10 million Royal New Kent links-style golf course with its 15th hole in sight of Colonial Downs' unfinished grandstands.

But for the county's future, Colonial Downs' wake could be most severe.

County officials said the track's surrounding land, also owned by Delmarva Properties Inc., has been approved for up to 3,100 homes and 1 million square feet of commercial space.

In the most basic terms, the county's population of 12,000 could increase more than 50 percent during the Delmarva 30-year, phase-in developments.

Though Barbara Nelson can't help noticing the ``big white glare in the sky'' from the round-the-clock construction at the track, she also knows it's good for business.

Manning the desk at Adams Feed and Garden Supply on Route 60 in Providence Forge, Nelson said the business has been shipping hay, pine shavings, feed and straw to Colonial Downs for weeks.

``A lot of people have moved here from Richmond or Williamsburg. What they think about the track depends on what they think about country living,'' she said.

The county is devoid of major hotels, so groups like the Maryland Jockey Club rented out the six-room Wallace Manor bed-and-breakfast for the entire 30-day race season, according to owner William Wallace.

The track has also tested the county's resources.

The county, which has received more than $350,000 from Colonial Downs' two off-track-betting facilities, has had a full-time building inspector assigned to the track for months. New Kent also widened Route 155 between the track and Interstate 64, costing $1.4 million.

``There is a lot of excitement and everybody always worries,'' said David Napier, a local restaurateur who is overseeing the track's food services with 100 employees. ``But the track and other businesses will help us keep taxes down.''

And what about Hampton Roads cities, who lost the chance to host the track in 1994?

Colonial Downs' impact has been confined so far to its OTB operation in Chesapeake, which has provided that city with more than $220,000 in taxes. But there may still be some spill-over economic benefits for the region.

Colonial Downs started television commercials on Monday on five major network stations in the Hampton Roads market. Ads in the region's major newspapers and on several radio stations are forthcoming, said media buyer Chris Kinton of McGrath Crossen Associates.

Starting Sept. 4, Colonial Downs will charter daily buses from South Hampton Roads to the track, although details are not yet available.

Local professionals with an interest in horses and racing have also started to offer their services.

``If those horses need emergency surgery, it's likely they would have to travel to N.C. State or Virginia Tech, which are more than four hours away. But we offer the same services here,'' said Dr. John Sangenario, co-owner of Dominion Equine Clinic in Suffolk.

Still, it is New Kent County and its people who will bear Colonial Downs' initial brunt.

Though no race has ever been run here, it almost seems as though someone had heard of Colonial Downs when they penned the county's slogan:

``Pride in the Past, Faith in the Future.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

IAN MARTIN

The Virginian-Pilot

``I've heard so many pros and cons about the track, but I always

voted for it,'' said taxidermist Gordon Taylor, whose business is

about four miles from the track. ``I figured change is coming

anyway.''