The team behind a would-be $25 million equine center off Route 84 in Sturbridge, which would facilitate horse racing and other community events, is working to push the proposed project forward.Â
The facility, dubbed the Sturbridge Agricultural and Equestrian Center, is the brainchild of businessman and thoroughbred breeder Armand Janjigian.
In presentations before the town, as well as the project’s website, Janjigian’s team estimates the facility would create roughly 100 local jobs.
However, it would also require the legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts in order to be financially stable, project leaders said in an Aug. 16 selectmen meeting. An effort to do so is currently underway, although it is unclear if the proposed bill will pass in the Massachusetts Senate.Â
The proposal will still need to pass a number of local checkpoints, including public hearings, additional approvals from selectmen, and zoning-related approvals from voters at Town Meeting, before it can advance.
A community host agreement is in the works.
If completed as proposed, the center will include a racetrack, sports bar, framing programs and community amenities, according to a presentation that went before selectmen. Races are slated to take place 10-12 days a year.
The facility would include athletic fields, a community pavilion, community gardens, and space for a farmers’ market.
The project proposal estimates the facility would bring in $1 million in annual revenue and benefits for the town.
