It’s been a busy offseason at Monmouth Park, even if little of the commotion has to do with racing. The New Jersey seaside track is one of two potential candidates for a casino license if supporters succeed in adding a referendum to this year’s November ballot authorizing casinos at Monmouth and The Meadowlands. This has required track officials to be in constant contact with state legislators and government officials. At the same time, Monmouth is moving ahead with several non-racing development projects for its property in Oceanport, requiring close engagement with the surrounding community. The developments include a hotel, a sports complex, and nearly 300 residential units for older tenants. If the efforts are successful, the Monmouth property would be transformed over the next five years, with revenue from the developments pouring back into the racetrack and its purses. But hurdles remain. The referendum is no sure thing, and one portion of the development plan is getting pushback from the local community. “It’s assuming a lot of things, but if all of this goes forward, we think everyone is going to benefit – the state, the local community, us,” said Dennis Drazin, president of Darby Development, the company that operates the track. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Momentum has been building for the casino referendum since last year, when New York awarded three downstate casino licenses. The expansion of casino gambling in New Jersey has usually been dead on arrival in the state’s legislature due to the influence of Atlantic City casino interests, but the arrival of the New York casinos is putting pressure on the legislature to act so that upstate New Jersey residents don’t cross the border into New York to gamble. Jeff Gural, the owner of The Meadowlands, which operates the most successful brick-and-mortar sportsbook in New Jersey, has been especially active in pushing for the referendum. He already owns two upstate racetrack-casinos in New York, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs. and he’s lately been pushing the idea that if The Meadowlands does not get help soon, the track’s harness racing operation would be in jeopardy. New Jersey residents overwhelmingly defeated a referendum in 2016 that would have expanded casino gambling beyond Atlantic City, but supporters of the new effort say that the mood has dramatically turned because of New York’s expansion. In addition, the language being considered for the referendum would likely include specific carve-outs directing casino revenues to property-tax relief and shoring up the state’s pension fund, sweetening the pot for voters. “It would be a hard sell if it was just saying that we need to help the racetracks,” Drazin said. If the referendum were to succeed, Drazin said that Monmouth would seek to have a temporary casino up and running at the track by early 2028, creating a rich revenue stream for the track as it seeks a partner for a permanent casino. Monmouth already has a real-estate development partner in Morris Bailey’s JEMB Realty, which owns and operates a casino in Atlantic City. “We don’t have the wherewithal for a world-class casino on our own,” Drazin said, in reference to Darby Development. Monmouth and The Meadowlands both may need help soon if a provision in Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s proposed budget gets embraced during the legislative session. The provision would slash a $20 million subsidy provided to the tracks in each of the past five years to $5 million.  The subsidy, which is split between Monmouth and The Meadowlands, has been in legislative jeopardy in prior years, but it had strong support from the previous governor, Phil Murphy. Other influential lawmakers still support the subsidy, so the tracks are hopeful that the full amount will be approved once again this year – but it’s no sure thing. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  The development projects at the Monmouth property, which are being led by JEMB, include the construction of a massive sports complex, a 200-room hotel, and 298 residential units for tenants who are 50 or older. Monmouth is a 50-50 partner with JEMB on the developments. In recent meetings with the Oceanport community, residents and local government officials have expressed strong support for both the sports complex and the hotel, but they’ve been far less supportive of the residential plans, citing traffic concerns. The mayor of Oceanport, Tom Tvrdik, has made frequent posts on social media urging residents to push back against the residential plans. Monmouth actually doesn’t need Oceanport’s approval to go ahead. The property is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which last year extended Darby’s lease on the track for 85 years. The NJSEA has already approved the plans. But Drazin said that it’s important to have the community’s support regardless of the approval process, especially because Monmouth and JEMB are seeking help for the development through the state’s PILOT program, which allows local councils to approve “payments in lieu of taxes” for major development projects. The Oceanport City Council at first rejected the PILOT application for the residential units, but the NJSEA then approved an expansion of the project to nearly 500 units. Drazin said Monmouth and JEMB are preparing to go back to the city council with a new PILOT application, but that application will scale back the plan to the initial 298 units.  “They’ve indicated that they can support the first plan,” Drazin said. “And there are not many projects in the state that do not get PILOT approval. It’s one of those things where this would be a significant economic development and would be really good for the town in the long run.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.