Fair Officials Cancel Hotel, Betting Site Proposals
Officials of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center agreed Monday night to dump plans for a hotel and off-track betting site and to let the city have a say in where fair visitors can park.
The plan, approved by the City Council on Monday, settled a lawsuit filed in 1991 by the city on behalf of residents who were concerned that putting commercial developments on the fairgrounds would create too much noise and traffic.
“I am very pleased they are taking into account the concerns of the neighbors,” Mayor Joe Erickson said.
The fair board also agreed on Monday to limit the number of people who may be on the fairgrounds at any one time to 25,500. That number does not apply during the run of the Orange County Fair.
Jill Lloyd, spokeswoman for the fair’s board of directors, said they now are discussing other approaches to making money from the fairgrounds. Specifically, they are looking at ways to upgrade existing facilities to make them more attractive rentals.
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