City Bids to Purchase Bowie Race Track: Now What?

The City of Bowie could soon be the owner of a two large swaths of land if its recent bid to purchase the old Bowie Race Track is accepted by the Maryland Jockey Club.

The race track property ceased functioning as a race track in 1985 and has since been used by the Maryland Jockey Club as a training facility. 

The city's interest in the property has been well documented. The offer to purchase the 164 acres of property for an undisclosed sum was made through the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources about seven weeks ago. Bowie is joining with DNR and the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission to form a funding consortium, according to City Manager David Deutsch.

This is the city's first attempt to purchase the property, Deutsch said, which is really two separate pieces of land on opposite sides of Race Track Road—the 130 acres where the current race track is located and the 34 acres where the stables and other facilities are located. Deutsch said the purchasing the property would be beneficial to the city on many fronts. 

"It's a nice piece of flat ground that lends itself to future recreation use, the location is appropriate and it just has a number of attributes for it being part of the city. As the city is growing there’s constant pressure for capacity whether it is structures or parks or passive recreation facilities," Deutsch said. "This [property] could address all of those."

That the city wants to own the property is well established. What will happen to the property if Maryland Jockey Club agrees to sell is still up in the air. 

The purchase, if approved, could go one of two ways. The city, as part of the consortium, could use Program Open Space grant funds to purchase all 164 acres of the property, meaning it could only be used as park space or green space. This purchasing option would eliminate the possibility of any future commercial or residential development on the property.

Alternately, the city could decided to purchase only the 130 acre race track property with the consortium and Open Space funds, and purchase the 34 acre piece of land using city funds. If that happens, the city would be free to develop the smaller property in numerous ways, be it park space or to sell the land for eventual residential or commercial development. 

While all council members support the city's purchase of the land, some would like to see it stay green and others support eventual development. Local homeowners are hoping the property will be used as park space, according to Saddlebrook West Home Owners Association President Ernest White. 

As the city and the funding consortium are still waiting to hear if the bid as been accepted, the future of the property is still uncertain. If the bid is accepted, either way the city goes with the purchase, local residents and the city would benefit, Deutsch said. 

"I would think that no matter what would happen there, that the potential for change could be seen as an improvement for them and the neighboring property if it becomes parkland or becomes developed," Deutsch said.