Dreams of a return of horse racing in Kansas City vanishing: Woodlands is up for sale
Las Vegas casino magnate Phil Ruffin is in discussions to sell the Woodlands racetrack in Wyandotte County, snuffing out the embers of a plan he had to start horse racing in the Kansas City area after a long hiatus.
Ruffin Properties, which five years ago bought the Woodlands site at 9700 Woodland Road in Kansas City, Kansas, is in talks to have Indianapolis-based Scannell Properties buy the old racetrack.
If the sale to Scannell goes through, it will likely mean that the nostalgic plans to reopen the Woodlands for gambling and racing has reached the finish line.
Scannell Properties is contemplating a large warehouse distribution and office park development at the site, according to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas.
The Woodlands, which opened in 1989 for dog and horse racing, has been closed since 2008. While popular at the start, the Woodlands struggled to compete with riverboat casinos in Missouri.
Ruffin, who was raised in Wichita, bought the shuttered Woodlands site in 2015 for $15 million. His hope was to reopen the racetrack for horse racing while also fixing up the grandstands to usher in hundreds of slot machines.
Ruffin’s plans hinged on the Kansas Legislature lowering the tax rate on electronic gaming revenue.
Hollywood Casino in KCK has opposed the reopening of the Woodlands.
While the UG’s announcement on Wednesday said the local government supported Ruffin’s plan, it’s actually gone back and forth on the issue. UG officials initially balked at Ruffin’s plan, and later softened it stance. The UG later insisted that changes in Kansas gaming laws should require the Woodlands to make a minimum capital investment like Hollywood Casino had to, as well as pay 3% of its revenues to the UG — again, like Hollywood Casino — instead of 2%.
In any event, the Kansas Legislature never changed the tax rates to Ruffin’s liking, and the property is now up for sale.
