Just heard on the radio this morning that the pilots are worried that the grandstand/lights/etc. would be distracting during landings.

The FAA approval was still pending.

Here is what an AC paper printed recently

Panel OKs special funding district for motorsports park
By SABA ALI, Staff Writer,
The Press of Atlantic City

(Published: November 28, 2006)

TRENTON — Plans for the motorsports park in Millville advance as legislation to help finance the project and federal approval to release the land used by the airport moves toward completion, city and state officials said.
Legislation to create a special sports and entertainment district in Millville that will generate revenue for projects such as the New Jersey Motorsports Park was unanimously approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on Monday.

Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, called the committee approval a tremendous victory for the region and the state. Van Drew, along with Assemblyman Nelson Albano, D-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, were the architects of the legislation.

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, is the primary sponsor for the legislation in the state Senate.

The legislation could hit the Senate floor for a final vote as early as next month, Asselta said.

Once this legislation is approved, it will allow Millville to include an additional 2 percent sales tax on purchases made in the district. The revenue will be used toward paying for the project's infrastructure, Van Drew said.

“It is the biggest governmental jump-start for economic growth since what was done for Atlantic City,” he said.

The committee did require a few minor changes to the legislation before passing it through to the Senate.

The changes included wording to ensure there won't be any state guarantee of loans and that the district would not go beyond Millville, said state Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, chairman of the Economic Growth Committee.

Lesniak said the changes were minor and the specialized district funding for the motorsports project would not impose any burden on the state or on neighboring municipalities.

The district will enhance the economic development by providing a funding mechanism through private capital, he said, confident that it will receive approval from the Senate.

Lesniak said his optimism is driven by having seen the results of similar creative funding used in the case of the Jersey Garden Outlet Mall in Elizabeth.

Van Drew emphasized that revenue created by the district will come into the city when the park is operational and not in advance. The revenue would not be used for bonding purposes and would not affect taxpayers.

Approval for the funding district is needed for developer New Jersey Motorsports Park LLC to acquire a $5 million loan from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and a $2 million loan from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Van Drew said.

A majority of the $100 million needed to complete the park is coming from private investment. The legislation shows a commitment by the state in the future of the project, Van Drew said.

The city is also moving closer to completing both the land release from the Federal Aviation Authority and the munitions sweep, said Donald Ayres, the city's director of economic development.

Ayres said the mayor needs to sign off on the preliminary memorandum of agreement that sets up a protocol for handling any items of archaeological or historical significance found during construction.

The agreement is one of the final steps toward completing the environmental assessment, which will allow the FAA to release the land for the project.

A resolution for the mayor to sign the agreement could be included in next week's commission meeting agenda, Ayers said. Field work for the munitions sweep has also been completed and is waiting on documentation.

Developers and the city are moving closer to setting up a realistic date for construction to begin on the park, he said.