THE ISSUE: The Anne Arundel County Council voted, 5-2, last week to give permission to the owner of Laurel Park, Canada-based Magna Entertainment Corp., to create a commercial district that would accommodate a retail enclave at the thoroughbred racetrack.
Magna has proposed creating a multimillion-dollar redevelopment at Laurel, which could include shops, restaurants and a hotel, to keep the track economically viable.
Magna officials said the project is conceptual and is likely years away from completion, but the pace of the redevelopment would greatly quicken if slots were legalized in Maryland.
